1997:
If we have no system of
personal restraint it’s likely we don’t care about behaving badly. If we see no
REASON to be restrained, it may be because we don’t expect to be confronted
about what we do. If we can get away with it, if it’s done discretely, so that
we don’t draw attention to ourselves unnecessarily, we can behave badly. And
with the minimum of judgement from others. Religion tells us that God notices,
and that may be superstition, but it is one form of restraint. Superstition
itself is possibly stronger, in that it’s much more up-front - it tells us it’s
all down to luck and that it’s ‘luck’ that we sow, bad or good.
Of course, none of this
matters, if we already have a system that prevents us making fools of
ourselves. Vegan, non-violence ethic is just such a system.
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