The Role of Hunting in Shaping Character

A brief investigation of the ethics of hunting animals

Hunting has been a widely controversial topic, to say the least. There are many facets of hunting that require the attention of the public, regardless of whether you partake in the physical act of hunting, or not. Specifically, hunting brings together elements of human nature, violence, and the environment in a unique and unforgettable way.

Rather than debating the right and wrongs of hunting (for sport, for spiritual experience, or for sustenance), this article will look at the different ways hunting can affect your growth as an individual. Being isolated and surrounded by wilderness, one becomes engaged directly in an act of violence. However, those who are avid hunters decide to hunt for a variety of reasons – as opposed to hunting just for the sake of perpetuating violence towards animals.

Undoubtedly, there is something powerful within the experience of hunting – it can shape and mould the way one orients themselves to the environment. Aldo Leopold, a prominent American environmentalist, believes that hunting is an essential component of the human experience which can be made sustainable through systemic change. Leopold addresses the need to integrate the sportsmanlike aspects of hunting into an economically viable activity which will ultimately benefit wildlife and ecological conservation.

“I have tried to build a mechanism whereby the sportsmen [of hunting]…could contribute financially to the solution of this problem, without dictating the answers themselves,” wrote Leopold in 1932 on the topic of game and wild life conservation.

The premise which Leopold brought forth is extremely valuable – he was seeking to demonstrate the importance of hunting as an integral component of environmental conservation. Looking at the act of hunting is extremely helpful towards opening an eco-critical dialogue that can effectively alter environmental policies and regulations. By immediately attempting to dismiss and ban hunting entirely, a variety of problems can arise involving animal conservation. Leopold further stresses the importance of being aware of the interdisciplinary relationships present in discussions of hunting, in order to benefit the greater ecological infrastructure.

“Examine each question in terms of what is ethically and aesthetically right, as well as what is economically expedient. A thing is right when it tends to preserve the integrity, stability, and beauty of the biotic community. It is wrong when it tends otherwise,” wrote Leopold in his pivotal book titled A Sand County Almanac.

For many people, the act of hunting is seen as barbaric – for others, it is a mode of spiritual release. The fact that hunting and game conservation is still being debated today means that the issue is not one-dimensional. With the recent increase of environmental consciousness arising in literature and eco-criticism, the ethics of hunting becomes a deeper philosophical question that requires a delicate and multi-disciplinary investigation of both moral and political issues.