Thread: Is Hunting Right?

Originally Posted by badassbob

To me it's just an animal. [/b]

Humans are technically animals too. And we share the same basic instincts. Eat, sleep, drink, produce young, look after them, rinse, repeat.

Originally Posted by QwinsepiaSquared

Humans are technically animals too. And we share the same basic instincts. Eat, sleep, drink, produce young, look after them, rinse, repeat.
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I agree, but we have evolved to be able to appreciate and not just take everything for granted like an animal does. An animal is mostly basic instincts - they have a certain amount of personality and develop attatchments to other animals, but not in the way that a human does. This is the reason that I don't feel guilty for killing them, they aren't as capable of understanding about life and death, and they can't appreciate what they have and therfore, killing an animal isn't really that much of a big deal to me. An animal only protects itself because it's instincts tell it to. Not because it doesn't want to die.

Originally Posted by badassbob

I agree, but we have evolved to be able to appreciate and not just take everything for granted like an animal does. An animal is mostly basic instincts - they have a certain amount of personality and develop attatchments to other animals, but not in the way that a human does. This is the reason that I don't feel guilty for killing them, they aren't as capable of understanding about life and death, and they can't appreciate what they have and therfore, killing an animal isn't really that much of a big deal to me. An animal only protects itself because it's instincts tell it to. Not because it doesn't want to die.
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I know what you mean, but I more or less disagree with this.

Have you ever had a dog? If so, how long have you and that dog had a relationship? Any amount of years spent with a dog (or cat) and you will begin to understand that there is more to animals, consciously, than a lot of humans give them credit for - especially when it comes to their perception of "relationship."

Did you know that it's very common for dogs, or a dog and a cat, respectively, to go into depression after the death of their companion? Many of them will do Very human things like refuse to eat or shun the attention of others, socially, because they become all consumed with the loss of a loved one dying?

That's a very "human" trait for something that has no conception of "life and death."

Originally Posted by Oneironaut

I know what you mean, but I more or less disagree with this.

Have you ever had a dog? If so, how long have you and that dog had a relationship? Any amount of years spent with a dog (or cat) and you will begin to understand that there is more to animals, consciously, than a lot of humans give them credit for - especially when it comes to their perception of "relationship."

Did you know that it's very common for dogs, or a dog and a cat, respectively, to go into depression after the death of their companion? Many of them will do Very human things like refuse to eat or shun the attention of others, socially, because they become all consumed with the loss of a loved one dying?

That's a very "human" trait for something that has no conception of "life and death."
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Originally Posted by Oneironaut

Animals are supposedly much better at picking up emotions in humans than humans can pick up in each other. Like, my dog will generally be in a more playful moon when I'm in a good or cheerful mood, and just sit beside me if I'm sad or ill.

And when one of our two cats got sick, the healthy one would follow the sick one around, groom it, lay next to it, and eat less so the sick one had more, etc. So that would be a "human" trait, caring for others.
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I can see what you mean, but you both use cats and dogs as examples. As I see it these are among the most clever animals on the planet. They have emotions and have a lot more understanding of issues like life and death.

The animals that I shoot (crows, magpies, rabbits, rats, squirells etc) are all much less capable of understanding of life and death and seem to be far less capable of feeling much emotion. As I see it, these animals lives seem to matter far less than the lives of a cat or dog or a human (seems insensitive, I know, but I can't think of a better way to word it).