O.K. fair question/s. WBIM (which being interpreted
means): how does one arrive at an environmental philosophy (and
in my case, a _Christian_ philosophy...)?
I begin with the two Genesis mandates: humans are
appointed stewards of the earth, to 'subdue/have dominion' over
creation on the one hand (Genesis 1:28) but to care for/till/
'keep' God's creation on the other (2:15).
Now, superimposed on these twin approaches to the
good earth is our polarised/politicized ideologies, ranging from
the individualist far right to far-left green fundamentalisms.
Those on the right major on their freedoms/rights. Those on the
ecological left talk about the inter-connectedness of all entities
(some go beyond 'animal' and 'vegetable' and venerate inanimate
objects like rocks...).
O.K. freedom/rights: Magna Carta gave it to the aristocracy;
the Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen adopted by the
French National Assembly (1789) underscored the 'inviolability
of the individual'; the Enlightenment philosophers believed we
are entitled to certain rights simply by being born ('natural
rights'). Then came rights for women, people of other races, gays,
the unborn, and, by ethical extension all animate entities (whales
top this list) and even inanimate things...
Factor into all this the Pastoral or Romantic traditions
(Rousseau), the monist Emerson and the first eco-philosopher Thoreau.
Emerson and Wordsworth and R.S. Thomas did not 'reverence' or
'worship' nature: their 'devotion' was more or less (as I understand
it) to the _correspondences_ between their minds and natural settings.
Thus (William Blake): 'man without nature is barren'...
Professor Peter Singer is in another category, as
I read him. He has a utilitarian approach to the whole thing (a
la J S Mill). He's an 'ecological Puritan' rather than a poet.
(Pity).
Now, now. What about sporting shooters who'll represent
us at the Olympic Games? Correct me if I'm wrong (I'm not big
on gun categories), but do they use the rapid-fire semi-automatics
or shotguns? I would have thought that rifle and pistol-shooting
had more to do with accuracy etc...
And what about culling? I have no objection to using
guns for that exercise, if it's the most humane way to do it.
I read an article this week by a professional 'culler' who said
city-macho types need semi-automatics and shotguns to do it, but
not the professionals...
Shooting animals for food? No problem, so long as
it's done humanely. Am I vegetarian? Not exclusively: I eat meat
twice or three times a week, but have a vegetarian diet when there's
an option (eg. on planes).
I reckon farmers who carefully husband natural resources
are our best guide in a lot of this. And if they're poets (like
Wendell Berry) they'll save us from ecofundamentalists' overreaction
to the anthropocentrism of the Western tradition/s. Berry, interestingly,
calls himself a 'husband of nature' (Thoreau was a 'bachelor of
nature').
I repeat: inflicting pain on God's creatures for
sport is inhumane. And because I can drive safely (I think) 20
k's-plus over most speed limits, I voluntarily drive more slowly
for the sake of those who can't (and, incidentally, to prevent
altercations with men-in-blue). So we're asking those with military-style
assault weapons etc. to rein in their rights a little. I wouldn't
have thought it was such a big 'ask'...
Does all that make sense? Rev. Tim Costello (Collins
St Baptist Church, Melbourne) published a good article in last
week's press on 'The Four Lies of the Gun Lobby.' He's overseas
but when he returns I'll ask if we can use it: contact me by email
in about three weeks...
In the meantime, here's something from Shakespeare's
As You Like It: a poor sequester'd stag, That from the hunter's
aim had ta'en a hurt, Did... languish; and indeed, my lord, The
wretched animal heav'd forth such groans That their discharge
did stretch his leathern coat Almost to bursting, and the big
round tears Cours'd one another down his innocent nose In piteous
chase... (Act II, Scene I).
Shalom! Rowland Croucher
Following my post 'Oxymoron of the month: Sporting
Shooters' which inveighed against using the term 'sporting' of
pastimes which inflict pain on other creatures... I was asked
several questions like: Am I a vegan? What about Olympic shooting?
Individual rights? etc. etc...
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