I believe that if Eiseley were alive today, he would not be killing animals, whereas Leopold would likely persist. That is, they search the past to find their ideals. Nonhuman-centered environmentalists look more to the future. They show a pronounced willingness to forge new paths and foster a more universally harmless evolution. To me, placing too much faith in history, wanting so much to repeat what's gone before, is largely the stuff of habit.
Unnecessary killing is never sacred.
Thoreau said that our science is always more barren and mixed with error than our sympathies. With that in mind, you won't be surprised to hear that I appreciated your response to the sermon. In fact, I thought it was excellent. You balanced thinking and feeling in a way that writers of that genre usually don't, and you drew from wider spheres. Best Regards, Cathleen .