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Hunting - Philosophy for Everyone: In Search of the Wild Life

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In the anthology Hunting: In Search of the Wild Life, editor Nathan Kowalsky brings together an impressive list of both heavyweights and lightweights from philosophical academia, as well as writers from other fields, many (okay, most) of them being active hunters. The goal: to present to general readers a philosophical examination of hunting from many angles without the jargon, word-spinning, and castles-in-the-air theorizing that characterizes much of "expert" philosophy.

The best part of Hunting is its balance of breadth with tightness, its manageably sized essays focusing on a wide variety of arguments for and against hunting. At the same time, recurring themes clearly come out and provide threads that weave the whole together.

Overall, the anthology contains challenging philosophical arguments for the justifiableness, if not the need and essentiality, of hunting--from supporters, detractors, and fence-straddlers . It is thus most useful for hunting critics, I think, since it will challenge them to rethink their assumptions and their arguments...and strengthen their argumentative muscles. More importantly, it will give them a glimpse into the opposing camp via the articulate discussion of philosopher-hunters. Those who already hunt or even just think it is not ethically wrong could surely benefit from reading as well, in that it would give them more insight into the discussion about hunting as a philosophy and a way of life.

General readers may not have as easy a time with the anthology as readers with some experience in the qualities and conventions of academic, philosophical argument. But the book is not about syllogisms or elitism or obscurity. It is practical, about philosophy in practice and not philosophy in abstract, and thus it can in fact serve as "philosophy for everyone" who cares to undertake the task of reading and thinking.

As a result, it is a valuable anthology on an important contemporary topic and touches on some of the most important ethical, cultural, and environmental issues of our time. While it may not actually convert anti-hunters or enlighten hunters, it will (helpfully, I think) challenge convictions, raise questions, and provoke serious thought. And that alone, in an age of Google-mind and short attention spans, is always something to be thankful for.

NOT JUST FOR HUNTERS! If you're someone who enjoys outdoor activities be it hiking,camping,bird watching,wildlife photography etc. and you reflect on what you observe in the wild this book will hold your interest. Both informative and challenging this series of diverse philosophical essays makes absorbing reading. WARNING: THIS BOOK IS FOR PEOPLE WHO LIKE THINKING AND WHO WON'T SHY AWAY FROM ARGUMENTS THAT MAY CHALLENGE THEIR WORLD VIEW.

When you do a LOT of reading about hunting philosophy (as I do), it's hard to find new material that adds to your body of knowledge. But this book did just that.

While some of the essays explored ground that's already been thoroughly plowed, I particularly enjoyed the following essays:

"Hunting like a vegetarian," by Tovar Cerulli: This is important reading for hunters who haven't spent much time thinking about the perspectives of anti-hunting vegetarians and vegans. Cerulli used to be one, and now he hunts; his perspective is important.

"How to go hunting after watching Bambi" by Gregory Clark: I learned a LOT from this essay about how the movie "Bambi" came to be so anti-hunting when the book was not.

"Teachings of an Algonquin Anishinable bush hunter" by Jacob Wawatie and Stephanie Pyne: I felt like I was sitting around the campfire with elders, learning about their respectful approach to nature.

"Living with dead animals? Trophies as souvenirs of the hunt" by Garry Marvin: This was pretty cool - an interesting look at why hunters keep the trophies that they do (heads on the wall, "hero shots" of them with bloody, dead animals). There's a reason why we do this!

"The fear of the Lord: Hunting as if the boss is watching" by Janina Duerr: This was a fascinating look at the spiritual beliefs of hunter-gatherers that keep/kept their hunting on an ethical track.

If you're interested a more complete and detailed description of what I liked about these essays (and what I didn't like about others), go here:[...]

Nice overview of the subject with interesting sellections and quite a few really profound essays. Ideal as a course text book!!!