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Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!ucbvax!decvax!mcnc!rti-sel!wfi
From: wfi@rti-sel.UUCP (William Ingogly)
Newsgroups: net.misc
Subject: Re: home defense  (& killing deer)
Message-ID: <288@rti-sel.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 11-Jul-85 16:12:25 EDT
Article-I.D.: rti-sel.288
Posted: Thu Jul 11 16:12:25 1985
Date-Received: Sat, 13-Jul-85 14:32:27 EDT
References: <1195@utcsri.UUCP> <962@mhuxt.UUCP> <1212@utcsri.UUCP> <2410@sun.uucp>
Reply-To: wfi@rti-sel.UUCP (William Ingogly)
Organization: Research Triangle Institute, NC
Lines: 60

In article <2410@sun.uucp> sunny@sun.uucp (Ms. Sunny Kirsten) writes:

>I see only two questions on the source of your food (plant or animal):
>1)	Did you harm or terminate the individual    (plant or animal)?
>2)	Did you harm or terminate the species?
>
>the latter is obviously inexcusable under any circumstances.

Pseudo-mystical hogwash. Last I heard, the smallpox organism was
nearly extinct thanks to our strenuous vaccination efforts around the
world. Are you seriously suggesting, Ms. Kirsten, that these efforts
were immoral because the act of terminating a species is immoral by
its very nature? If so, what is your scriptural, scientific, or
philosophic justification for this position?

>And, finally, the META-QUESTION:
>	Is the life of the individual important, or is it only the life of the
>species which is important?

Important to what or to whom? And what precisely does 'important'
mean? And what makes you think the Universe or Mr. Goodvibes or
whatever you call it gives a grand hoot about this question?

>	If you kill a deer who would otherwise compete for food and reduce the
>QUALITY of life for all deer in the area, and you eat the meat and tan the hide
>is the universe better or worse off than if you hadn't?

Who's to decide: YOU, Ms. Kirsten?

>p.s.:	Meta-Meta-Question:
>	Are humans the only animal (or plant) privy to reincarnation?

And does Santa Claus really have a white beard and slide down my
Chimney every Christmas? Give us a break, Ms. Kirsten. Most of
your net companions probably do NOT believe in 'reincarnation.'

>p.p.p.s.:	When you eat a seed, is that equivalent to abortion?
>		Is a sunflower seed part of the plant you left alive? or
>		is it an autonomous life?

Good Lord. This kind of hazy thinking is as ridiculous and obsessive as 
the solipsistic hypothesizing many adolescents go through while they're 
growing up ("Maybe this is all a dream, and I'm the only thing that
really exists. Or maybe everybody else knows what's REALLY going on
and they're all conspiring to keep it from me..."). Fortunately, most 
of them grow out of it.

>p.s.	An acre of land feeds more vegetarian mouths than carnivore mouths.

I have no quarrel with this statement. There are many rational
arguments in favor of vegetarianism, and this is one of them. A
vegetarian diet is also much better for you. Many of us are fed up
with the kind of antirational ramblings typified by the rest of your
article, however. Most of what you say is totally unproveable, gives
environmentalists AND vegetarians a bad name, and turns off many of
the people you should be trying hardest to reach.

By the way, I suggest this be moved to net.politics (or better,
net.flame).
                           -- Cheers, Bill Ingogly