Date: Wed, 3 Feb 99 11:18:02 EST
From: "Brian J. Callahan" <Brian=J.=Callahan%MT%DFCI-AT-EYE.DFCI.HARVARD.EDU>
Subject: re: baby food


Jonathan writes:
>Your comments that "neither evolution nor nature in general are moving 
>towards a goal--they're simply playing out the interaction of natural laws.  
>Human beings have intentionality, and it's my intention to work towards a 
>happy anarchistic little society where mutual aid is the accepted ethos"
>are the root of so many of the problems humans have with their environment,
>because they think they're somehow superior or better than it, that they
>have some higher goal, that nature by itself is random, or any other such
>anthropocentric attitudes.  Again, I ask you, looking at the entire planet
>AND at humans, was everything better of or worse of before "human
>intentionality" came along?  

Looking at the entire planet, was everything better before human 
intentionality came along?  Not for humans, certainly.  How could it be 
"better" for the planet?  The planet doesn't care.  It is you who are 
anthropomorphizing nature.  Of course I'm anthropocentric--I'm an anthrop!
I'm also Brianocentric, because I'm Brian.  I care more about what happens to 
me than I do about what happens to you, no offense.  I also care more about 
what happens to you than I do about what happens to a cow.  I especially care 
more about people who have in some way committed themselves to aid me in 
times of distress.  That's mutual aid, and it sure seems a better basis for 
an anarchist society than some Gaiacentric Social Darwinistic 
Anarchotribalism.  IMHO.