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News & ArtsWednesday, February 18, 2009
Life Reason in the Age of Posthumanism
Posted by Charles Mudede on Wed, Feb 18, 2009 at 9:18 AM
The report begins badly...
The remains of a five-year-old Australian boy have been found in the stomach of a crocodile, police say.Jeremy Doble was last seen on 8 February playing near his family's home beside a flooded mangrove swamp in northern Queensland.
Police now say he was attacked and eaten by a 14ft (4.3m) crocodile who was then trapped in a flooded river.
...and ends impressively:
Queensland officials say the animal will now be sent to a crocodile farm or zoo.The victim's parents have reportedly asked authorities not to kill the crocodile.
We must deeply admire the parents for seeing their son's death as simply tragic and not as anything personal or evil. The crocodile did nothing wrong and does not deserve to be judged and punished by human standards. The crocodile was being a crocodile, and the boy was at the wrong place at the wrong time. The types of people who can learn something of great value from the parent's rational decision are mainly to be found in the Abrahamic religions. Everything to them is so personal, human, narratological. They do not know that justice has its limits. They do not know how to love an impersonal god—a god who may not love or care about them.
3
Not that I agree with it but I've often heard the reason for putting animals down after they are involved in an attack on humans is that "once they have taste for human, they want it again." I think this is complete B.S. but has anyone else heard this or am I completely imagining it? I hear lack of gator meat in your diet is bad for your memory...or is that elephant?
4
Yes, these people are far superior to those dog owners that run around and pick up poop. Thank you Charles.
6
Another Spinozan spin: the hatred of a reptile (i.e. the thought of it's hurting you and the thought of its destruction) is tied to the ignorance that sees the reptile as an agent outside of nature. The hatred of nature is incoherent because we cannot reasonably will its destruction, and so hatred of the reptile is impossible once one has eliminated the ignorance that sees it as an agent outside of nature.
8
if they killed the crocodile (after allowing full digestion of the child) & the family ate it in a ceremonial feast, that would be more poetic.
also confusing: australia is in the middle of a record drought. FLOODED rivers & swamps?
also confusing: australia is in the middle of a record drought. FLOODED rivers & swamps?
13
it's not personal, evil *or* tragic. it's just something that happens occasionally when you live in australia or florida.
14
Wait a second. How did they get the stomach contents of the crocodile, but not kill it? Did someone have to stick their finger in the croc's throat?
16
@3 - I thought the same thing. I equated it with bears who attack - they usually put them down because once a bear has lost its fear of humans then it will always be a threat. But sometimes if there is a way, they will tranquilize it and move it to a place where it will not likely encounter humans. Maybe that's what they did for the croc (or maybe crocs have no fear of humans to start with and the analogy doesn't apply).
17
Thanks, Charles - this kind of restored my faith in humanity after the whole chimpanzee thing.
It's going to a park, so it won't be a danger to others even if it does decide humans are a good food source. Well done, parents - this was the best thing that could have come out of this situation.
It's going to a park, so it won't be a danger to others even if it does decide humans are a good food source. Well done, parents - this was the best thing that could have come out of this situation.
18
Abrahamological religions? Jews, Christians and Muslims as paragons of understanding the animal kingdom? I think Buddhists, Jains and Hindus have a greater tradition of forgiving nature for being natural as well as an abhorence for revenge.
New American Standard Bible (©1995)
Then God said, "Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth."
New American Standard Bible (©1995)
Then God said, "Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth."
20
Inkweary @18: That's why Charles said the people of the Abrahamic religions are those "who can learn something of great value" from this story. Because the others already get it.
22
@9: the drought broke in in New South Wales 2 days ago. thanks for letting me know that a continent is large.
23
In Judaism at least, I think you're wrong. Look at Ecclesiastes, and you find a world weary man who knows that justice is not to be found in this world, and the pursuit of it is futile. Look at Job, and he knows, despite the efforts of his friends to convince him otherwise, that his suffering is arbitrary. Or perhaps best of all, look at David who when confronted with the lack of grief over his child said, "While the child was still alive, I fasted and wept; for I said, 'Who knows, the LORD may be gracious to me, that the child may live.' But now he has died; why should I fast? Can I bring him back again? I will go to him, but he will not return to me." That's an awareness that after death, there is no point in further action on behalf of the dead.
24
I say slaughter the thing for its skin and have a fabulous boot, purse, wallet combo!
Seriously though, if it were my child I would have that thing dead. Actually, its not my child and I still feel it should be dead. It might not bring the child back but it may prevent anothers death or injury. I am pretty sure there is some kind of backing for this belief that an animal is statistically more likely to attack a human after an initial incident. But I also believe in execution of violent criminals for the same reason. Its really much better to think of the practice as pruning. It an unfortunate situation yes but better than the alternatives thus presented. btw, just becuase the jews and christians established practice doesn't mean its backwards or bad. I for example think that circumcision is a wonderful practice. Sometimes religion has some worthwhile concepts... just not the fundamentalist.
Seriously though, if it were my child I would have that thing dead. Actually, its not my child and I still feel it should be dead. It might not bring the child back but it may prevent anothers death or injury. I am pretty sure there is some kind of backing for this belief that an animal is statistically more likely to attack a human after an initial incident. But I also believe in execution of violent criminals for the same reason. Its really much better to think of the practice as pruning. It an unfortunate situation yes but better than the alternatives thus presented. btw, just becuase the jews and christians established practice doesn't mean its backwards or bad. I for example think that circumcision is a wonderful practice. Sometimes religion has some worthwhile concepts... just not the fundamentalist.
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