Adam wrote:
>. Who could argue that Leopold with his old notion of
>the Land Ethic is the premier ecological-ethicist?

>As I have mentioned before on this list (with no responses), I think
>Leopold's Ethic is faulty and doomed because of his not seeing the
>animal-rights issues as primary to any land ethic. 

Adam, you are very similar to our "deep green" friends on this list who so
often drop names of books, and names of "isms".  In a way, you are all like
Englishmen wishing the entire world so speak English.  If you always speak in
terms of a given book or a given "ism", how can I respond to you if I haven't
read that book?  There are hundreds of thousands of books, but fortunately far
less original ideas.  Speak of the ideas and ask what we think of them and you
will get more responses.  Speak as simply and of as few syllables as possible
and you will convey more meaning.



Adam wrote
>We jump from humanitarian ideals, to abolishment of slavery, to
>women's suffrage, to civil rights, to...environmentalism? I think not. >The
animals represent a huge gap in that logic. Again, how can intrinsic
>value/moral status be assigned to a community made up in large part of
>beings that aren't themselves accorded moral status? Any thoughts here >would
be much appreciated.

Right Adam.  All of the movements are have some parallels, but I agree with
others on the list that there are differences too.  Of course, there will
always be carnage in nature, and that is not necesserily a bad thing. 
Annihilation of a species is what none of us wants.  That said, having circus
where elephants are beaten to do tricks doesn't help the environment.  Dumping
millions of tons of manure into the Chesapeake from poultry farms doesn't
help.  The unnatural confinement, genetics and life experience of factory
farmed chickens is an aberration of nature, thus far unprecidented.


>In addition, another reason that I think animal rights is essential to
>ecological ethics is this: I think sentience _and_ intelligence are both
>hopelessly faulty criteria for moral considerability. 


That may be true Adam, but hacking away at a bread mold will not elicit the
same terror that doing the same thing to a gorilla or a human child would.  In
essence, as ethical individuals in human society and ethical individuals in
our biologic community we all must take the interests of our fellow beings
into consideratioin, as a principal of mutual respect.

Peace for All Beings
Jamey Lee West

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