1. “The Most Dangerous Game”

2. READ the material for the debate and the opening statement carefully; be sure you understand it. LISTEN to the person who is speaking. UNDERSTAND the person’s point of view CONTRIBUTE your own thoughts, offering your reasons as succinctly as possible. RESPOND to the statements only, not to the personality of the person giving it. PHILOSOPHICAL CHAIR RULES

3. CHANGE your mind about the statement as new information or reasoning is presented. MOVE to the opposite side or to the undecided chairs as your thinking grows and changes. SUPPORT the Mediator in maintaining order and helping the discussion to progress. REFLECT on the experience via the closing activity or assignment. PHILOSOPHICAL CHAIR RULES

4. In the story, “The Most Dangerous Game”, Rainsford is disgusted by the fact General Zaroff hunts men because they are more challenging to hunt than animals. Throughout the remainder of the story, Rainsford is hunted by General Zaroff. At the end of the story, Rainsford outsmarts Zaroff and ends up killing him. Do you think Rainsford is justified in killing General Zaroff, or are his actions just as bad as General Zaroff hunting humans? Evaluate the statement, and agree or disagree. PHILOSOPHICAL STATEMENT #1

5. General Zaroff justifies the fact that he hunts humans by saying, “Life is for the strong, to be lived by the strong, and if need be taken by the strong. The weak of the world were put here to give the strong pleasure” (Connell 70). Based on the quote above, do you agree or disagree with General Zaroff’s view? PHILOSOPHICAL STATEMENT #2

6. “After Zimbabwean officials identified Dr. Palmer as the hunter, activists used search engines to find his contact information and social media to share information about his business and his family, stirring a fever pitch of anger and strong enough to effectively dismantle his digital life. Angry people sent a surge of traffic to Dr. Palmer’s website, which was taken offline. Vitriolic reviews flooded his Yelp page. A Facebook page tittled “Shame Lion Killer Dr. Walter Palmer and River Bluff Dental” drew thousands of users. Dr. Palmer’s face was scrubbed from industry websites” (Capecchi). Based on this quote above, people on the Internet felt it was their duty to speak up on behalf of Cecil, even through negative posts. Do you feel it is our responsibility as humans to defend those who can’t defend themselves? Evaluate the statement above and decide whether you agree or disagree with the question. PHILOSOPHICAL STATEMENT #3

7. “According to the Zimbabwe Conservation Task Force, the lion was shot with a crossbow after he was lured out of the sanctuary, following the scent of food. Cecil, well known to those who visited Hwange National Park in western Zimbabwe for his jet black mane, was only injured by the arrow. The hunters tracked him for about two days before he was killed with a gun, conservation officials said. He was beheaded and skinned, his corpse left to rot” (Capecchi). According to the quote above, Cecil was lured out of his sanctuary with food in order to be killed. Many have debated whether this is actually hunting or if this is a “cheap kill”. Do you think Dr. Palmer legally hunted this animal? Evaluate the statement above and decide whether you agree or disagree with the question. PHILOSOPHICAL STATEMENT #4

8. “Hunters provide an estimated $200 million annually to the overall African economy. In the most rural areas, where many of these hunts take place, the land is too dry to accommodate agriculture and too isolated to sustain ecotourism, but hunting provides employment opportunities and many communities depend on these hunting safaris to make a living” (McGrath). Kendall Jones claims that hunting big game helps with animal conservation and provides benefits to the people in Africa. Based on this information presented above, do you believe big game hunting is wrong? Evaluate the quote above and decide if you agree or disagree. PHILOSOPHICAL STATEMENT #5

9. “I do love animals. As hunters, we have a deep appreciation for the game we hunt but also understand that hunting contributes to the prolonged existence of game species. Modern conservation is about reducing population risks, maintaining habitat and ensuring the species are sustainable for the future. Hunting does that” (McGrath). Kendall Jones claims she is an animal lover, yet she still hunts big game because of the conservation benefits. Can a hunter truly love animals if they are willing to take its life for sport? Evaluate the quote above and decide whether you agree or disagree. PHILOSOPHICAL STATEMENT #6

10. Now that you have read three different perspectives on big game hunting, where do you stand on the issue? Do you appreciate hunting for the mental and physical challenge it provides, like General Zaroff? Do you find hunting to be an exciting hobby to collect animals heads, like Dr. Walter Palmer? Do you think big game hunting benefits the African economy and helps with animal conservation, like Kendall Jones? Pick a side and be able to defend your position! CHALLENGE, COLLECTION, OR CONSERVATION? WHERE DO YOU STAND?