Recreational Hunting: Ethics, Experiences and Commoditization

Starting with the paradox that hunters claim to love the animal species they hunt, this article examines three inter-related issues: the ethics of hunting, the hunting experience and the commoditization of hunting in the contemporary world. I discuss two contrary philosophical approaches to hunting in general, and then turn to the specific problem of the ethics of recreational hunting, arguing that its protagonists fail to render a consistent justification for killing animals merely for the experience, but create a hunting ideology which obfuscates the issue. While hunters claim that the chase is the main point of hunting, its conclusion in the kill constitutes the apex of the hunting experience. However, the intensity of the experience fades with the commoditization of the pray in the contemporary world. I present a series of settings according to the extent to which they are ‘framed,’ ranging from open areas, designated ‘wildernesses,’ and game parks, to game farms (and virtual hunting establishments), where tame and restricted animals are easily shot for a trophy at a stiff price. The outrage the hunting community raised by those practices, serves to highlight its moral supremacy. The article concludes that the paradox of killing a loved animal inherent in recreational hunting is irresolvable on the ethical sphere, but can be interpreted as an antinomian but exalted ritual, resembling sacrifice in the religious sphere.