The Three Principle Texts of Daoism translated by ... - Bad Request

The BanquetMR T'IEN, of the Ch'i State, was holding an ancestralbanquet in his hall, to which a thousand guests werebidden. As he sat in their midst, many came up to himwith presents of fish and game. Eyeing themapprovingly, he exclaimed with unction: “How generousis Almighty God to man! He makes the five kinds ofgrain to grow, and creates the finny and the featheredtribes, especially for our benefit."All Mr T'ien's guests applauded this sentiment to theecho; but the twelve-year-old son of a Mr Pao,regardless of seniority, came forward and said: “You arewrong, my lord. All the living creatures of the universestand in the same category as ourselves, and one is of nogreater intrinsic value than another. It is only by reasonof size, strength or cunning that some particular speciesgains the mastery, or that one preys on another. None ofthem are produced in order to subserve the uses ofothers. Man catches and eats those that are fit for food,but how can it be maintained that God creates theseexpressly for man's use?“Mosquitoes and gnats suck man's blood, and tigers andwolves devour his flesh; but we do not therefore assertthat God created man expressly for the benefit ofmosquitoes and gnats, or to provide food for tigers andwolves."