-----Original Message-----
From: [log in to unmask]
[mailto:[log in to unmask]]On Behalf Of [log in to unmask]
Sent: Monday, February 28, 2000 1:56 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: human evolution, vegetarianism and EE.

 L. Dangulits asked:
  "To Adam, Steve and others of different views, it would be interesting to
see where your sources are coming from on this debate of( veganism/
reduction of meat sources/ evolution context ect.) It would give us all some
new prespective in this debate of vegatariansim and EE. There seems to be
many varying facts out there."

Bissell here; My sources about human evolution come from various sources.
Over the years I've taken probably 10 or 15 graduate level courses in
evolution which touch on the topic of human evolution.

I have not tried to keep current on paleoanthropology, but I have read a few
books on it. These include:

>From Lucy to Language ~
Donald Johanson, et al / Hardcover / Published 1996

In the Age of Mankind: A Smithsonian Book of Human Evolution ~
Roger Lewin, Donald C. Johanson / Paperback / Published 1989

Lucy : The Beginnings of Humankind ~
Donald C. Johanson, Maitland Armstrong Edey (Photographer) / Paperback /
Published 1990

Ancestors; In Search of Human Origins
Blake Edgar(Contributor), Donald E. Johanson / Hardcover / Published 1994

Blueprints : Solving the Mystery of Evolution
Maitland A. Edey, Donald C. Johanson / Hardcover / Published 1992

Journey from the Dawn : Life With the World's First Family
Donald Johanson, Kevin O'Farrell

Lucy's Child : The Discovery of a Human Ancestor
Donald Johanson, James Shreeve

Lucy's Child : The Discovery of a Human Ancestor
Donald Johanson, James Shreeve

All of these sources talk about the *fact* that humans evolved, along with
other primates, from a omnivore stock. Probably some little fellow in
Northern Africa. Maybe that is the argument, how long have humans been
omnivores? What did our Pleistocene ancestors live on?

My sources on the implications of this period of human evolution on
contemporary environmental problems come from:

The Broken Bough, 1975.
Edward M. Keating

Traces of an omnivore, 1996
The others, 1996
The tender carnivore and the sacred game, 1973
Man in the landscape, 1967
All by Paul Shepard.

The biophihilia hypothesis, 1993.
S.R. Kellert and E.O. Wilson(eds)

I really feel this is not a trivial issue or one of semantics. It really
matters what our ecological context is if we are to formulate a responsible
environmental ethic. When I see people proposing preposterous ideas about
human evolution it bothers me because it leaves the entire field of
environmentalism open to charges of scientific illiteracy. A few years ago
there were a couple of books out on the idea that humans evolved from some
sort of aquatic ancestor. This was done largely to advocate the idea of
underwater human-birth. There was also a brief spate of writtings about
neantherthals as sort of proto-hippies. All of this would be amusing if it
were not for, IMO, the very serious implications of not knowing where you
come from and therefore not knowing where you want to get to.

As to Leopold's ethic. I still think that it represents the best synoptic
statement so far. As to the influence of "A sand county almanac," it was
reviewed as recently as November 1999 in the New York Times. Amazon.com
reports selling over 40,000 copies a year. It is listed by the New York
Public Library as one of the most influential books (of all categories) of
the century. A quick search of the Web found about 3000 sites about the
Almanac. To say it Leopold and the Almanac are unknown outside of
environmental circles is far from correct. I can't find it to hand, but
somewhere I have the figure that along with the Koran, the Bible, and a few
other books, A sand county almanac, is, in various publications, one of the
most commonly published books in the world.

But, be that as it may, I suggest to those wanting to know Leopold, read
"Game Management," his magnumn opus published in the 1930s. It is still in
print and he lays out his future thinking about ethics and the environment.
It might surprise some people to find that Leopold was writing as early as
the 1920s on ethical issues in the environment. His consistent theme was
that ecology and evolution could, if properly understood, assist us in
making not only intelligent decisions about the environment, but ethical
ones as well.

'nuf space taken up today.
Steven



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