The elements of moral philosophy

[CuseHunter]

I decided to take a couple online winter classes over my break between semester and one class I am taking is Ethics. So far I love it and enjoy diving into the text readings. Throughout all of our discussions on these forums we all have human prejudice which I've noted in all of these heated arguments. I'm sure none of you care about this, but I needed to take a break from reading and wanted to post on here anyway

If you were wondering, the book is "The Elements of Moral Philosophy" by James Rachels. It's short (195 pages) and very well written in an easy to understand manner.

[phade]

Ethics and morality are no doubt important.

 

The problem with it all is summed up by a line one of my professors told me that struck a chord. He said: "People are messy."

 

Once you realize that, ethics and morality or lack thereof, won't surprise or disappoint you.

 

Hunting is not unlike any other career, or hobby, or passion. Part of it involves ethics/moralities to a high degree (sporting, sharing harvest, getting people into the sport) and sometimes at the same time, an intense competition (mature bucks). What you see play out is the balance of the two.

[growalot]

We had an issue between our son and the school...so I decided to nip some things in the bud and took him in for "real" counseling ...so drove him to these sessions for a  few weeks...and then they called me in...

What I was told...He has a very high sense or right and wrong and he will never do well in an institutional setting ...such as school...for his sense of right and wrong...his high morels will always clash with what institutions have to set in order to maintain sufficient control...they can't rule on what is truly right or always moral for it would compromise the order they need to maintain to be fully in control.....

So what they told him  he had to do...... because he was now a institutional target..... was keep his head down and under the radar...that it wasn't compromising his ideals just keeping them in check until he was on his own...for if he thought school was bad ...the prison system is worse....Man that has stayed with me and still saddens me when I think about it

[greybeard]

That is sad, VERY  sad, and kinda scarey coming from a school.

[growalot]

Actually it was an independent psychiatrist that has dealt with adolescence and school issues...He was the one that came right out and said they have a target painted on your back now...and said his report to them.... I allowed release of..... would reflect our sons moral character...plus the fact his IQ tests were very high...yes very scary

 

Same thing happened with our daughter in 3rd grade..because the teachers said she wasn't making friends....drove her 60 miles 2 times a week and Dr said she just doesn't relate to the kids in her class.......her IQ tests were 136 or so if I recall back then...she couldn't find a common interest with any of them and found manipulating ppl very easy......lol....the teachers wanted her on riddlin(sp)...when I told the Dr. that the school managed to get 2/3 of the class on riddlin(sp) he came right out and said that's just not true...so I demanded he look into it seeing she was his patient...Next session he apologized and said he was filing a report...

[Elmo]

"The true test of a man's character is what he does when no one is watching." by John Wooden.  No truer words were spoken when it comes to the world of hunting because when we hunt, we're usually out there by alone and deer won't snitch on you.

[growalot]

like

[Doc]

There are a few things that involve morals and ethics with hunters that promote a wide disparity and often incendiary situations when these items get involved in discussions. First of all, a lot of our moral and ethical perceptions about hunting are rooted in family, generational and geographic traditions. We tend to simply parrot back the things that were handed down to us personally by parents and other relatives and other authority figures that we have come in contact with throughout our lives. Those things are not always similar or compatible from one hunter to another.

 

Also, we tend to be a bit conflicted because what we do involves the death or potential suffering of critters. That in itself increases the scope and stakes for our ethical positions. most of us do not take that aspect lightly.

 

There is also a wide difference in what hunting means to each of us, and how we each believe is the "proper" ways of conduct. There are elements of fair-chase that we don't all agree on. The levels of required challenge reach both extremes. There are other things that set us up in concrete as far as principles that we refuse to back up on.

 

And then there is the way that we take a smattering of life experiences and conjure up even more iron-clad ethical stances based on a truly insufficient number of data points.

 

So when we see so many of these discussions turn a bit ugly, it generally is the engrained very personal ethical standards that we all have been handed and tend to live by with no compromise. It may not always be pleasant, but I think it is all very understandable and explainable. And none of us are exempt.

[WingNut]

I think it's a poor standard that we can't pledge or pray in our schools anymore!

[nyantler]

One only needs to be true to himself and to God... with that everything else falls into place...

[WingNut]

One only needs to be true to himself and to God... with that everything else falls into place...

[WingNut]

I wish that would be true! But the world needs some sort of inspiration these days!

[Arrow Flinger]

I was reading a book the other day that I got for Christmas titled Bowhunting Whitetails the Eberhart Way by John & Chris Eberhart. On the last pages they summed up, spot on, the way I've been feeling about the ethical & moral direction our beloved sport is going. It was good to finally see someone come out and say it in print! They wrote:

 

 

We are concerned with the trend toward growing and manipulating whitetails. These magnificent animals are being degraded more and more by management practices that take much of the challenge,excitement, and mystery out of bowhunting. Euphisms such as "extreme management" or even "harvest"  are code for growing and continued privatization of animals that should never be tamed. We are hunters, which is why we kill our game, not harvest it. Grossly exaggerated hunting ease in the name of entertainment is misleading for young hunters and the non-hunting public, and it is dangerous for the future of bowhunting. Don't be fooled by monster bucks crossing the screens.Mature bucks in pressured areas rarely reach those proportions, and a mature buck is a real trophy no matter the antler size. Bringing whitetail hunting into the technological age and keeping hunting fair chase and real are big challenges facing the hunting community for decades to come. Hopefully our children and grand children will be able to experience hunting truly wild and wary whitetails as we have.

[Jeremy K]

Im gonna come back and read this after my hangover is gone .

[Doc]

I was reading a book the other day that I got for Christmas titled Bowhunting Whitetails the Eberhart Way by John & Chris Eberhart. On the last pages they summed up, spot on, the way I've been feeling about the ethical & moral direction our beloved sport is going. It was good to finally see someone come out and say it in print! They wrote:

 

 

We are concerned with the trend toward growing and manipulating whitetails. These magnificent animals are being degraded more and more by management practices that take much of the challenge,excitement, and mystery out of bowhunting. Euphisms such as "extreme management" or even "harvest"  are code for growing and continued privatization of animals that should never be tamed. We are hunters, which is why we kill our game, not harvest it. Grossly exaggerated hunting ease in the name of entertainment is misleading for young hunters and the non-hunting public, and it is dangerous for the future of bowhunting. Don't be fooled by monster bucks crossing the screens.Mature bucks in pressured areas rarely reach those proportions, and a mature buck is a real trophy no matter the antler size. Bringing whitetail hunting into the technological age and keeping hunting fair chase and real are big challenges facing the hunting community for decades to come. Hopefully our children and grand children will be able to experience hunting truly wild and wary whitetails as we have.

Arrow Flinger-

This is a topic that deserves its own thread, if you feel like constructing one. I happen to completely agree with almost all of this.

[nyantler]

Arrow Flinger-

This is a topic that deserves its own thread, if you feel like constructing one. I happen to completely agree with almost all of this.

 

likewise

 

[5.9cummins]

I was reading a book the other day that I got for Christmas titled Bowhunting Whitetails the Eberhart Way by John & Chris Eberhart. On the last pages they summed up, spot on, the way I've been feeling about the ethical & moral direction our beloved sport is going. It was good to finally see someone come out and say it in print! They wrote:

 

 

We are concerned with the trend toward growing and manipulating whitetails. These magnificent animals are being degraded more and more by management practices that take much of the challenge,excitement, and mystery out of bowhunting. Euphisms such as "extreme management" or even "harvest"  are code for growing and continued privatization of animals that should never be tamed. We are hunters, which is why we kill our game, not harvest it. Grossly exaggerated hunting ease in the name of entertainment is misleading for young hunters and the non-hunting public, and it is dangerous for the future of bowhunting. Don't be fooled by monster bucks crossing the screens.Mature bucks in pressured areas rarely reach those proportions, and a mature buck is a real trophy no matter the antler size. Bringing whitetail hunting into the technological age and keeping hunting fair chase and real are big challenges facing the hunting community for decades to come. Hopefully our children and grand children will be able to experience hunting truly wild and wary whitetails as we have.

 

Thats a good book.

 

I have it and his other book.

 

[CuseHunter]

I was reading a book the other day that I got for Christmas titled Bowhunting Whitetails the Eberhart Way by John & Chris Eberhart. On the last pages they summed up, spot on, the way I've been feeling about the ethical & moral direction our beloved sport is going. It was good to finally see someone come out and say it in print! They wrote:

We are concerned with the trend toward growing and manipulating whitetails. These magnificent animals are being degraded more and more by management practices that take much of the challenge,excitement, and mystery out of bowhunting. Euphisms such as "extreme management" or even "harvest" are code for growing and continued privatization of animals that should never be tamed. We are hunters, which is why we kill our game, not harvest it. Grossly exaggerated hunting ease in the name of entertainment is misleading for young hunters and the non-hunting public, and it is dangerous for the future of bowhunting. Don't be fooled by monster bucks crossing the screens.Mature bucks in pressured areas rarely reach those proportions, and a mature buck is a real trophy no matter the antler size. Bringing whitetail hunting into the technological age and keeping hunting fair chase and real are big challenges facing the hunting community for decades to come. Hopefully our children and grand children will be able to experience hunting truly wild and wary whitetails as we have.

great post here. Makes me appreciate the true "wild" aspects of hunting and this to me is the true "trophy hunting" it's alluring to me personally by seeking a naturally wild buck, unaltered by humans (crops fields/ baiting). Definitely another way to look at trophy hunting as a whole.