> So, in other words, the definition of vegans as "people who do not
consume
> animal products" is false.

that assertion is right - vegans seek to avoid doing things that inherently
exploit, or cause suffereing to other beings (it is an
anti-slavery/suffering sentiment)

> And again, what is animal exploitation? Is eating a dead cow (ie, a cow
> that I did not necessarily kill) vegan?

if you found a dead animal that had died by accident, it would not be
unvegan to eat it, although you might be taking food away from predators -
in reality this is not a useful consideration, because the reality of animal
consumption is mass exploitation and a lot of suffering (a vegan campaign to
protest against picking up roadkills to eat is pointless because that
doesn't really happen! - but if it did, I would be more convinced that
humans are natural meat eaters)

> How about I find an abandoned egg on the ground and I decide to eat it, is
> that vegan? Some tribes in South Asia, after the tribe member died, they
> ate the body... doesn't sound "exploitative" to me, but it would hardly
fit
> the bill as being vegetarian faire, right?

cannibalism of someone who died naturally isn't exploitative - however, a
good few vegans find that once they drop meat from the diet they lose
interest or are even repulsed by it (I was repulsed by meat in my childhood
anyway, same as for drinking beer or coffee, and smoking.)

> Rice growing could, theoretically, involve the deaths of animals. So
> could growing wheat for that matter.

True. As I said it is about _intentional_ exploitation. Some mainly insect
collateral damage doesn't seem to count. Just about every food system will
cause insect deaths. Free roaming cattle probably eat and trample a lot of
insects to. No dig permaculture and careful agroforestry can avoid a lot of
insect death also.

> Vegetarian is easy to define- it's somebody that doesn't eat animal
flesh.
> Vegan is alot harder to define, it would seem.

a useful definition may be found here
http://www.vegansociety.com/html/about_us/ at the original home of veganism

"Today, the Society remains as determined as ever to promote vegan
lifestyles - that is, ways of living that seek to exclude, as far as is
possible and practical, all forms of exploitation of animals for food,
clothing or any other purpose. "

John