Uncommon Descent Serving The Intelligent Design Community

And the lion shall lie down with the lamb—whether he darn well likes it or not!

Share
Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Flipboard
Print
Email

And now for something completely different.

Here’s a possibly serious proposal at I09 to interfere with the genomes of carnivores (presumably including obligate carnivores, domestic cats being a good example*):

Should animals be permitted to hunt and kill other animals? Some futurists believe that humans should intervene, and solve the “problem” of predator vs. prey once and for all. We talked to the man who wants to use radical ecoengineering to put an end to the carnage.

A world without predators certainly sounds extreme, and it is. But British philosopher David Pearce can’t imagine a future in which animals continue to be trapped in the never-ending cycle of blind Darwinian processes. It’s up to us, he argues, to put our brains, our technologies, and our sense of compassion to good use, and do something about it. It’s part of his overarching Hedonistic Imperative, a far-sighted “abolitionist project” set with the goal of achieving nothing less than the elimination of all suffering on the planet. And by all suffering, he means all suffering.

No doubt, when I think about the state of our species and our planet tens of thousands of years from now, it’s hard for me to accept the notion that nature and all that’s within it remains the same while we venture out into the next state of our existence. Ignoring the plight of other animals seems both selfish and irresponsible, particularly if we have the means to do something about it; the suggestion that we should consciously and compassionately reboot the Earth’s biosphere is as futuristic a proposition as it gets — but one we should contemplate very seriously.

Why don’t we just put an end to death, and be done with it?

Will plant rights be next? For sure, if this flies. Eating anything edible might become illegal or impossible. 😉

*The domestic cat generally only uses complete proteins. The most obvious source of same is small rodents. Hence his almost mad fondness for hunting them.

Follow UD News at Twitter!

Comments
David Pearce ... a waste of a mind - a waste of a PhD - a waste of young minds sitting under his tutelage - a waste of space in whatever office he holds in academia - a waste of space in whatever publications he writes for - a waste of time of the teachers and professors who taught him on his path to the PhD.ayearningforpublius
August 4, 2014
August
08
Aug
4
04
2014
09:14 AM
9
09
14
AM
PDT
This guy is a lunatic, but his dangerous ideas represent the ultimate logical conclusion of unchecked environmentalism and the animal rights movement.OldArmy94
August 4, 2014
August
08
Aug
4
04
2014
08:39 AM
8
08
39
AM
PDT

Leave a Reply