>jim wrote..
>
>>When I say "philosophically coherent," I mean relating to nature in a
>>manner which looks at death realistically and acknowledges our
>>responsibility for the deaths we cause. Of course, we can, with the
>>"fossil fuel vegetarians," look the other way from death, and try to cover
>>our eyes, as Porter did initially; or we can take responsibility for
>>"pulling the trigger," so to speak, with the hunters, meat eaters, and
>>other "Yahoos". . . .
>
>Jim, I hate to pick one paragraph out of your whole e-mail, but I just
>couldn't not comment on this. Why the referrence to vegetarians this way?
>I'm a vegetarian. I use fossil fuels. But so do meat eaters. What's the
>point? In addition, there are many vegetarians which, through their
>non-harming philiosophies, also come to stop harming in any way *possible*
>(including ceasing fossil fuel use whenever possible). Do I consider myself
>morally unique? Only in the sense that we're all morally unique. Do I
>consider myself holier than thou (generally speaking)? Well, if I did, it
>wouldn't be because I choose to not hunt animals. And why should I share in
>the "responsibility" of pulling the trigger? That's absurd.
>
>Bryan H.
Bryan,
You are quite right in taking me to task for this paragraph--in hindsight,
it probably wasn't necessary to include in the context of my remarks about
Porter and Augustine. I honestly did not intend it to sound like a
gratuitous slap at you, or at any of the vegetarians on the list, and I'm
honestly very sorry if it came across as such.
Jim
p.s. FWIW, I *was* trying to relate the discussion of Porter, Augustine,
and bullfighting *back* to our ongoing discussions about hunting and
appropriate ways of relating to nature. (I sometimes fret that my extended
digressions into such non-enviroethics topics like bullfighting or Toni
Morrison's fiction are testing people's patience . . . .) Recall that last
month--actually, longer ago than that (time sure flies when you're having
fun! <s>)--the phrase "fossil fuel vegetarians" was introduced on this list
(in the "Justified Hunting" thread), e.g. in my post on March 18 discussing
remarks made by Chris Perley and Steve Bissell:
>And Perley's respect for hunters is based on his awareness that in some
>important ways, the hunter at least acknowledges where his/her food comes
>from, and *at what cost.* The hunter pulls the trigger, and in doing so,
>accepts personal responsibility for the life that sustains his/her own. In
>contrast, Perley (inadvertantly) and Steven Bissell (directly) remind us of
>those whom the outdoor writer Ted Kerasote refers to as "fossil fuel
>vegetarians," people who assume they possess the moral high ground because
>of their "cruelty-free" lifestyle, but who are unaware of the very high
>costs associated with their lifestyle. All life exists at the expense of
>other life, even vegetarians' lives.
I cite the paragraph not to dredge up ancient history necessarily :-) but
simply to relate Kerasote's phrase back to our continued and ongoing
discussions. jt
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