Learn the facts
In response to Dave Thorn
(■‘Not all forms of life ant equal.”
ODE. Ian. 12): If all human life
were to be wiped off the fat «> of
the planet, would life on Barth
continue? The answer is yes If
all microorganisms (which he
seemed to think were quite unim
portant) were gone, would life
still exist? The answer here is no
A reason it is seen as Ok to
kill little things, like mosquitoes
and microorganisms, is not only
het.ause they're small, hut also
because of their sheer numbers
Yes, he has killed millions of liv
ing organisms, but the percent
ages and impact involved are vir
tually imperceptible However,
when one kills a deer, a dog or
a whale, it does not take very
long, comparatively speaking, for
those a< tions to have a noticeable
impact on the species popula
tion.
As fnr as animals communi
( ating with oat li other through
language, which humans lend to
tout as their greatest achievement.
I have a very simple response,
though no doubt o controversial
one. I assume Mr. Thorn has wit
nessed interactions between peo
pie and their pets. My question
is. which animal, human or pet
(cat or dog. for example), appears
to he better able to understand
what the other is saying'
I could go on. but .is Mr Thorn
himself said, an hour's worth of
arguments would not do any
good My suggestion to Mr
Thorn, however, would he to do
a hit of reading and maybe take a
biology class or two Perhaps after
he has applied his "superior'
human intelligence to learning
the facts, he will reevaluate his
viewpoint.
Shanie Holman
General Science
Biocentrism
Dave Thom's Wednesday opin
ion piece (ODE. Jan. 12) showed
no understanding of the envi
ronmental movement, or of what
biocentric environment a lists
mean by the notion that “all
forms of life are equal."
First off. biocentrism is a phi
losophy embraced by only some
environmentalists There are
many environmentalists who
hold on to an anthropocentric
view point
Kvon if you think humans are
the No 1 kings of the planet, with
the right to exploit everything in
their own interest, you can easi
ly become an ardent environ
mentalist once you see the dev
astating consequences our
destruction of the natural world
will bring dow n on us When the
natural predators of deer (wolves)
are killed off by humans, and the
deer then over-graze, they soon
die off in large numbers. Humans
who ruin the ecosystem that sus
tains them have and will contin
ue to suffer similar consequences.
Hiocontrism isn't about every
organism being the same, or hav
ing to be treated with the same
moral considerations that we give
to our fellow humans What bio
centrism is about is seeing
humanity not as the rightful kings
of the natural world, with God
granted moral permission to
destroy whole ecosystems for fun
and profit, but rather as part of
the global ecology, as existing
within a system that gives us life,
and so deserves our respect It
is the old. anthropocentric par
adigm that has led to our ruining
much of the natural world, and
that is why many people think
the anthropo* untrio paradigm has
got to change to a bio* entric one
Ben Iglauer
Eugene
Superiority?
Ki*< ently the Emerald printed
a "shamelessly pro-human" opin
ion column by Dave Thom (Inn
12) that stated, "It's the applica
tion of intelligence that makes
humans sjhx.ini Mr Dtont went
on to state, "Humans are supe
rior to all other forms of life."
I wonder which parti* ulor
application of human intelligence
Mr Thom had in ins mind when
he determined this human "supe
riority "/ Was it the dropping of
atomic bombs on Hiroshima and
Nagasaki' Could it have been the
Holoc aust of T.uropean Jews dur
ing World War II? Or mat be Mr
Thorn was thinking about how
humans nearly drove the whales
to extinction, creatures that apply
their intelligence (?) to making
music?
Humans drop bombs on each
other Whales sing songs Mr
Thorn thinks humans are supe
rior. Really, a mind is a terrible
thing to waste.
Anthony Stumbo
Sociology
Dolphins know
Congratulations Wednesday’s
opinion column was better than
last year's "Let's do whatever we
want 'cause we can't absolutely
destroy the world" by Stephanie
Sisson. Dave Thorn's "We don't
need to preserve other species
'cause we're the best" (ODt., Jan.
12) deserves a Howitzer Prize.
Come on. Dave. "Animals, left
by themselves, will eat entire
species into oblivion"? Why not
use that massive intelligence that
separates humans from gerbils?
Any dolphin knows that the
species that systematically
destroys its food sources will die
off Can you name a spec les that
systematically destroys its own
sources of food? Here's a hint:
They're "lietter manipulators of
their environment "
Given, the world would still
revolve without dolphins. Still,
you don't acknowledge the major
reason we need to save dolphins,
whales and any species that's
threatened. It's tailed an "ecosys
tem."
[ GOLDWQRKS ]|
JEWELRY DESIGN STUDIO
431 W. 13th, #2, Eugene
343-2298
Student Special
Stewing Silver Farnngs
Regular Business Hours
tues fn Ptyn-lpm 2prrv«pmSot I0orrv4pm
j*:: wT-js :rc w*J' 2 >oDefy ,rjfon#l
Your ecological niche depends
on other species Destroy enough
ecological niches nnti you'll even
tually hit one that directly
impacts vour own Then vou die
Those who want to die quick
ly should find ways to do so that
don't involve taking other, bet
ter-adapted species along for the
ride Why not take a class in glob
al ecology7 The pressure of fa< -
tual evident e pitted against your
massive denial pist might make
vour head explode
Steve Coie
English
Racism realities
As a woman of color with miiiiu
experience on and off uimpus. I
found Diana Collins Puente s
statement about the nialitios of
rm ism in Eugene a bit too
extreme To mo. the awnrem*ss of
and < onoem for resjiecrtingdiver
sity here is quite strong.
I admit m\ ignorance of the
political aspects of Collins
Puente’s relationship with the
ASUO or how much money had
to do with her decision to leave
If. as she said, the reason was
liecause she was discouraged by
a lack of tmpport. then maybe she
did not realize that she is a
leader, in the front of the fight for
minority rights, and she must
ex[Mx.t the worst |i«ople can give
That is one of the responsibilities
of the position. Is it true that the
goals she admirably wants to
achieve "cannot be accom
plished"7 They surely cannot be
achieved by a single soul.
Don’t misunderstand me 1
believe it is important that she
spoke out. that she felt all right
to speak out. and that we sup|H>rt
her right to speak out! But is
Eugene more racist than most
other places' I wonder.
Guanghong Z. Atman
Eugene
Ideas welcome
1 mail with interest Mary
Tegel's letter. "U ofTauO." in the
|an 10 EnwmUi As a member of
the KMU board and a fellow stu
dent. I encourage any and all
feedback we receive from the
University community on our
plans and decisions
We are subject to Oregon's
open meetings law and invite all
interested parties to attend our
meetings on alternate Wednes
days at 4:30 p m (check sched
ule hoard for location). If you'd
like to address a specific concern,
please write ns at KMU Board of
Dire< tors, i o ASUO. Universi
ty of ()regon, or e-mail us at KMt
Hoard of Direi torssforegon edu
(< i mail if on campus)
The TacoTime enterprise is the
present phase of a major retiova
tion of KMU Food Services
Future plans call for removing
the w ill between the Fountain
Court and the Fishbowl and
replei ingt urrent fm ilities will a
food court that Food Services
hopes will make them less
dependent on incidental fees
File food court would lie geared
toward ns ognt/able brand-name
enterprises that are popular with
students These plans am present
ly under review, and since you
elected us to serve your interests,
we welcome all your comments,
i oncorns and suggestions.
S.W. Conser
Vice Chairman
EMU Board of Directors
GOLF
Al l. DAY!!! $8
* SOME RESERVATIONS
i (i c:
2 I'll I iilumln I * I UU‘ IK
i IS I ( .( >1 I
KK S \ ' I • lit I mu
We've tost two ot our student
Board ot Directors members,
Chanira Reang and Seth
Wakerdueto moves. Because
ot this, the UO Bookstore is
now taking applications to till
their positions.
Positions Available;
• One Junior Position
♦or currently registered,
lull time junior student
to serve on our board
thru June, 1995.
• One Senior Position
tor currently registered,
lull time senior student
to serve on our board
thru June 1994.
Bookstore board members
represent students, faculty and
staff ot the UO, and help guide
bookstore policy. Members at
tend a monthly meeting, and
receive a monthly stipend.
Applications will be accepted
upstairs in the administrative
office through Wednesday
January 26th.
346-4331
UNIVERSITY
o r OMQOjj
L
J
Recycle
Q: What JOB OPPORTUNITY at
the university gives you
valuable leadership
experience, allows you to
meet many interesting people
and pays your living
expenses?
A:
Resident Assistant
University Housing is now accepting applications for
Resident Assistants for the 1994-95 academic year.
To apply:
1- Pick up an application packet at the University Housing Office,
Walton Complex.
2- Attend one of the three mandatory informational sessions
Jan. 19 7 pm Riley Hall Lounge
Jan. 20 7pm Hamilton Ramey Room
Jan. 25 7pm Carson Gold Room
3- Hand in application to Housing Office before the deadline:
Tuesday, February 1st at 5pm
Qualifications: Must be a full time student at the U of O with above a
2.5 GPA and junior standing by fall term 1994.
Compensation: Room and board in a single room, and $600
An AAfiO institution committed to cultural diversity and in
compliance with the ADA