(snip)
Chris Hope wrote
"Well, the reference was back to, I think, our last discussion of animal
rights, where certain posters were defending hunting, which to others
seemed like using the hunted animal just as a plaything the hunters could
use to break the monotony of their existence, without recognising the
animal as a sentient being with rights. Sorry that wasn't clear."
Bissell responds;
I think that if someone hunts in order to break monotony of their existence,
then it is very questionable morally. However, hunting is a difficult form
of "recreation" at best. I think that some of us posters, such as Jim
Tantillo and myself, are saying that hunting is much more than "mere
recreation," and may, in fact, represent a relationship with animals with
profound meanings.
Some newly discovered cave paintings in (I believe) Spain show half man-half
animal figures. Consider that the painter had to crawl on his/her belly
carrying a bowl of burning animal fat and paint these figures. Why did they
choose hunting as the subject of most of the paintings? I think these people
had a very clear understanding of the relationship of animals and
themselves. They knew that taking a life was an important event, and not
just for survival. If that was the case they would not have attempted to
show a metaphysical relationship with animals. In fact some non-hunting
cultures do not have any indication of metaphysical attitudes toward
animals.
Does this justify modern "sport" hunting? I don't know, but I think it
starts to get there.
Chris goes on:
"As to your question back to me, I don't know whether whales are capable of
recognising sentient beings with rights. Certainly there are stories of
dolphins in their natural environment seemingly respecting humans who swim
with them, and treating them gently. But these stories may just be wishful
thinking."
Bissell resonds:
I agree. The attribution of human psychology to animals is risky business,
and it may be disrespectful to the animal. I've met very few humans who was
at being "human" as a lot of animals I've known who were at being whatever
kind of animal they were. At anyrate, I'm not sure what it all means. One of
the reasons I like and admire big dangerous animals is just because of that.
I have more respect, in a trivial sense, for this killer whale who kills
humans in his tank than the ones who juggle balls and jump over flaming
sticks. I realize that they are being forced to do so, but somehow I have
more affinity for Nat Turner than Uncle Tom.
sb
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