The message
from John Cartmell contains these words:

your overwhelming self-aggrandisement can you fail to appreciate
that the
definition could just as well be swapped around.

And no doubt you have spent endless hours discussing the finer points of
philosophy with your friendly neighbourhood fox quite forgetting
that it is
sentient only in the most basic sense and any of its thoughts are figments
of your deranged imagination.

I thought I was discussing the matter with a member of my own species.

You are but what is at issue is that you attribute human thoughts and
emotions to foxes.

Odd really as not so long ago you were pontificating on philosophy and
now you are fantasizing about a world in which foxes have rational
thought, not to mention the right to murder.

Well you're struggling with that rational thought bit so I'm not pushing
the fox too far ahead. Even if you did fit the Homo sapiens tag I don't
see how an ability to think gives you the right to murder. If you
justify
something on the grounds that you are 'better' - and those are the only
moral grounds that you can claim - then you need to start
justifying that
'better' tag too. If you're claiming the right simply because you have
better weapons (and that *is* the truth) then I find your claim to be
without any moral value.

You seem to have lost all sense of perspective where animals are
concerned.
Animals don't have morals nor the thought processes to consider the
question.

Some of us do. Apparently you don't consider yourself to be an animal.
That's
a fault in your perception and doesn't reflect reality.

Clutching at straws? You know very well that I was using animal in the
colloquial sense.

Murder is a human construct and confined to humans.

I didn't suggest otherwise.

Yes you did. How else am I supposed to interpret " I don't see how an
ability to think gives you the right to murder" a few paragraphs above.
I can only assume that you think I shoot foxes myself. FWIW I have never
shot a fox and haven't shot anything at all for more than 40 years.

Given your extreme views I wouldn't be at all surprised to learn that you
were a leading animal rights terrorist.

You have a sick idea of 'extreme'.

It is in the nature of extremism that those at the extremes consider
themselves mainstream. The sickness is all in your head.

Anthropomorphism gone mad.

You need to justify your 'sapiens' tag before you start complaining that
I'm seeing foxes as human.

'I think therefore I am'

And you do not understand Descartes - so don't pretend.

So you think you do, but you're insane.

but homo sapiens is label that applies equally to everyone

Homo sapiens

from moron to genius

You still fail to live up to the 'sapiens' part.

From a fruit and nutcase like you I take that as a compliment. I have
often thought it odd that those who are particularly clever or even
those who think they are particularly clever are so often lacking in
commonsense. You can no doubt argue the hind leg off a donkey but your
basic proposition that foxes and humans are equal singles you out as
demented and the more you to plead your case the more ridiculous you
appear to those who do not share your delusion.

You stated as a fact a few days ago that fox hunting hadn't been around
for centuries. If you had had a bit more concern for the truth and a bit
less for your ego we wouldn't have started arguing again and your
reputation wouldn't be quite so threadbare as it is now.

--
Roger Chapman