LB - With a cover like that I see little point in an 'abridged' edition I agree.
Both - I don't think that animals generally can be 'wicked' in the sense the book cover means. In order to be a moral agent any creature would require to understand the concepts of right and wrong, be able to distinguish between the two and have the ability to make moral choices. In order to do this the creature in question would likely need to be conscious and self-aware in the way we humans are. Apart from us I would suggest that the other Great Apes and probably the whales/dolphins meet this criteria.
Apart from that I would doubt if other less complex creatures could be 'wicked'. Less complex life-forms are, generally, biological machines running mainly hard-wired behavioural programming. No free will = no morality.
I don't know. I had a dog once who knew the difference between right and wrong as far as his behavior went and the guilty looks he'd give me sometimes when he got caught, oh boy. He _knew_ his action was wrong and chose to do it anyway.
Pulp Fiction.
5 comments:
When I get around to reading Farm Girl I'm not going to settle for the abridged edition!
Can animals be wicked?
LB, I had the same question. Wicked little animal made me laugh out loud.
LB - With a cover like that I see little point in an 'abridged' edition I agree.
Both - I don't think that animals generally can be 'wicked' in the sense the book cover means. In order to be a moral agent any creature would require to understand the concepts of right and wrong, be able to distinguish between the two and have the ability to make moral choices. In order to do this the creature in question would likely need to be conscious and self-aware in the way we humans are. Apart from us I would suggest that the other Great Apes and probably the whales/dolphins meet this criteria.
Apart from that I would doubt if other less complex creatures could be 'wicked'. Less complex life-forms are, generally, biological machines running mainly hard-wired behavioural programming. No free will = no morality.
I don't know. I had a dog once who knew the difference between right and wrong as far as his behavior went and the guilty looks he'd give me sometimes when he got caught, oh boy. He _knew_ his action was wrong and chose to do it anyway.
My cat did something similar. Her look of contrition either broke my heart or made me laugh out loud. She was very manipulative like that - bless her.
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