42. Thomas Baumeister on Fair Chase and Ethics in Hunting

In this Episode I talk to Thomas Baumeister of "Access WILD" and "Orion - The hunters Institute" about the question of hunting and the way in which hunters can develop an ethical framework. 

We begin our conversation with a brief reminder of the four ways  in which society generally values wildlife  (Traditionalist, Mutualist, Pluralist, and Distanced). We then outline the ways in which hunters and anti-hunters can be be classified.

We then turn our attention to "ethics" and the ways in which ethical philosophy can be applied to the question of hunting. Thomas then explains whether killing an animal can be ethically justified, and we discuss the concept of "moral residue".

We then turn our attention to "Fair Chase", first by defining it, and then by examining its origins. I then ask Thomas about "optimizing advantage" - the idea that hunting can be neither too easy, nor too difficult. We then discuss the importance of the hunting experience, and the way in which moral residue is an important part of the hunting experience.

Thanks for listening to the Fat Bird, Ugly Dog Podcast. I hope you enjoy this episode.