Hunter, Hunted
About this book
Predator nature
Hunter in a blind
– A duck hunter waits in his blind.
Economics
– Hunting isn’t a way to save money.
Buck fever
– A hunter may be confused when the moment comes.
Messing up the shot
– Sometimes it’s a loss.
Deer fever
– Grief may accompany killing a deer.
Deer meat
– Renting a meat locker adds to the expense.
Hunting genes
– Hunting is an evolutionary role.
Instinct
– Instinct seems orthogonal to success in hunting.
The wild
– The wilderness is wild only from our point of view
Wild animals
– We say a wild animal is free.
Feline behaviors
– Cats seem to be hunters by nature.
Anthropomorphizing
– One would need to know what distinguishes us.
A myth
– We fashion a myth that animal instincts compel us.
Eating meat
– Cholesterol clogs arteries.
Proving something
– Difficulty increases value.
Cultural dissonance
– For most, there’s no choosing.
Rights
Judea-Christian teaching
– They shall not eat “flesh with the life thereof.”
Killing rights
– If you obey the rules, then you may kill animals.
Predator rights
– A wolf may not take a domestic animal, we say.
Like children
– Some say animals are like children.
Ethics
– We should treat others according to our own nature, not theirs.
Natural defenses
– Humans have no fangs or claws.
Self-defense
– We reserve the right to kill anything that threatens us.
Prey
All species
– All species have been prey.
Edible animals
– It’s hard to think of an animal that people don’t eat.
Appetite
– Some people never get enough.
Man’s best friend
– Dogs aren’t prey unless they stray.
Fish and game
– Departments of fish and game regulate fishing and hunting.
Sport
– There’s no sport in sticking a pig.
Bounties
– Governments have issued bounties for human beings.
Trophies
– Trophies serve male pride.
Nobility
National symbol
– The bald eagle is poor symbol.
Choice of prey
– Our hunters seek to shoot the noblest deer.
Taxidermic nobility
– Does the hunter gain nobility by killing a noble prey?
Inalienable rights
– Human rights seem to be deniable.
Animal rights
– Do other animals have rights?
Balance
Imbalance
– She’s a goddess, so she’s supposed to be immortal.
Mother Nature’s rags
– The fabric of life is torn.
Cruelty
– Why aren’t all meat eaters scavengers?
Like ourselves
– We are creatures of the same planet.
Eden
– In the Garden of Eden, the lion lay down with the lamb.
The greater love
– Love can’t be measured.
Extinctions
– Extinctions are irrecoverable tragedies.
Litany
– Use reusables, not disposables.