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Human exceptionalism is the default moral framework of our time. We build systems that prioritise humans while using—often unnecessarily—hundreds of billions of animals and trillions of insects each year, with plans to scale that harm even further through technology, agriculture, and AI.
Jeff Sebo exposes human exceptionalism as a convenient assumption, not a defensible moral position.
Jeff is an associate professor of environmental studies at NYU. Affiliated professor of bioethics, medical ethics, and philosophy, and director of both the Center for Environmental and Animal Protection and the Center for Mind, Ethics, and Policy. He is also the author of The Moral Circle.
His work asks a deceptively simple question with enormous consequences: who matters, how much they matter, and what we owe them—especially under conditions of moral and scientific uncertainty.
In this conversation, we talk about what it means to take non-human beings seriously without collapsing into moral paralysis; why expanding the moral circle doesn’t dilute urgency yet rather clarifies it; and how questions about insects, AI systems, plants, and even microbes force us to rethink harm, scale, and responsibility.
This is a conversation about responsibility at scale, moral seriousness, and what it actually takes to build a future that reflects our values.
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What are “potentially morally significant” beings?
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Are there any non-debatable’s so far as our moral circle? Given both moral and scientific uncertainty?
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For people in animal advocacy—what about the fear that expanding concern too widely can dilute urgency?
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How do we expand the moral circle without collapsing into moral confusion or paralysis?
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The ethical and strategic implications of including insects, plants, fungi, AI systems, and other overlooked beings.
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The risks of insect farming. It’s often framed as a “sustainable” alternative to factory farming. What is the reality?
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Why does insect farming deserve more attention now, before the industry locks in further?
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How should we think about small harms to vast numbers versus severe harms to fewer individuals?
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The taboos around plant and microbial consideration.
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What surprised Jeff, where did he change his mind in researching / writing The Moral Circle.
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How can acknowledging moral uncertainty about plants or microbes actually strengthen the case for veganism, rather than undermine it?
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If there’s one mindset that helps listeners take all of this seriously without feeling crushed by it, what would Jeff point to?
If that conversation felt like a lot, I get it!
I really respect the open-mindedness and humility Jeff brings to his own questioning of who matters, how much they matter, and what we owe them.
I also love the comparison he made: expanding our moral circle asks something similar of us as we ask of human rights activists—or even the non-vegan majority. Compassion for animals doesn’t need to come at the expense of ourselves personally or to humans as a whole, however it does require reflection and courage.
As an aside, Jeff introduced me to a couple of terms I hadn’t encountered before: animism, seeing everything as having its own distinct spirit, and pansicism, seeing everything as sharing a single, universal essence.
Our impact on beings—both present and future—is intensifying, and so too is our responsibility as the dominant species: to reflect honestly and act in ways that honour those we affect. Whether motivated by empathy or self-preservation, we shape the world—and even emerging AI systems—by deciding what and who is of moral significance.
Jeff’s Website: jeffsebo.net
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With love and gratitude plant friends.
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