Life in Contradiction to Life

Abstract

This article examines the central moral injunction of non-violence toward sentient beings, rooted in both religious and secular worldviews, which exhorts the practice of vegetarianism, condemns the killing of animals, and rejects all forms of predation in general, including hunting. Specifically, this article examines the moral injunction of non-violence through the prism of Nietzsche’s analysis of metaphysical dualism and the decadent, nihilistic, world-denying postures that he claims accompany such dualism. A Nietzschean analysis exposes the condemnations of hunting (and of predation in general) rooted in the moral injunction of non-violence as distinct versions of a nature-denying, world-hating philosophy – despite the fact that those who defend such an approach usually claim it to be a world-affirming (and animal loving) stance. The article concludes with a warning against the particular human arrogance that seeks to re-order natural processes in accordance with human moral conventions and ideals.