Thursday, July 17, 2008

Re: Of Moths and Fashionistas

My dear, dear, friend Herm commented that my victory over the fabric moths was somehow "decently Darwinian." I'm not sure I felt decent after this victory. Survival of the fittest does not leave room for a conscience. Why are my clothes (my shelter and my sexual allure, which might, at this point, aid in the conception of only one or possibly two human young) any more important than that moth's offspring, and, in fact, the work of her entire, short life?

1 comment:

Herm said...

When I said "decently Darwinian" I was echoing the end of your post, with its Darwinian fanfare of victory. I used the combination oxymoronically.

But it is an excellent point you make. There is no decency and no conscience about it.

Actually, whenever I kill some creature, be it the hated house centipede or the fascinating miniature monster spider on Amy's porch, I feel wrong and dirty and bad.

That is a human response. Not a Darwinian one, certainly.

Isn't that why we are even talking about this subject, because there is an underlying training that what we've done is not right, that we are killing one of creation's creatures?