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At 10:11 22/05/99 -0700, Mike wrote:
>I couldn't find the central issue I sought in [David Orton's] discourse:
>
>When human needs (e.g. those of native or underprivileged peoples) conflict
>with those of wildlife, which should be given priority?
>
>I think that we must admit that wildlife, since they can't protect
>themselves from us, MUST be given priority over human "needs", when they
>conflict, ...
** Your view is: "given priority over", i.e. basically a choice: one _or_
the other. Someone else, perhaps Bruce, might say: "we should be able to
have both". I'm much more inclined to yours, Mike, but not as an either/or,
rather asking where is the biggest long-term impact (obviously on the
wildlife), and how can we who are responsible, reduce that to
a-level-tolerable-by-wildlife, not the zero you look for.
** Obviously (to me, anyway), this means taking a strongly critical look
at humans' "needs", reducing them to wishes or "that would be nice" in
almost every case. Specifically, almost everyone doesn't need a car, though
they may have to change where they live and work. The only real needs can
be satisfied by spending less than $1,500 _per_year_; this is the result of
my economic experiment for the last six and a half years.
> ... wildlife face much worse, every day, especially at our hands. ... no
>mention of the simultaneous impacts on wildlife, which may be even more
>devastating, considering how much of their habitat
>they have already lost to us.
>
>I think that we have to address human needs, but to stop doing it always at
>the expense of wildlife
** Yes, though I see "address[ing] human needs" in an extremely restricted
sense. This may be where I differ from the philosophical side of deep
ecology, in that I don't see anything like as much need for explanations -
a philosophy of living. Actual _needs_ don't include that, in my view.
** This shifting away from desires also minimises human-based wishes, like
for justice, equity, and the rest of the "left" view".
David.
(David MacClement) mailto:davd@tao.ca ( @ is: @ )
http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Delphi/3142/index.html#top
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