Respect for Nature: A Theory of Environmental Ethics - 25th Anniversary Edition (Studies in Moral, Political, and Legal Philosophy)

What rational justification is there for conceiving of all living things as possessing inherent worth? In Respect for Nature , Paul Taylor draws on biology, moral philosophy, and environmental science to defend a biocentric environmental ethic in which all life has value. Without making claims for the moral rights of plants and animals, he offers a reasoned alternative to the prevailing anthropocentric view—that the natural environment and its wildlife are valued only as objects for human use or enjoyment. Respect for Nature provides both a full account of the biological conditions for life—human or otherwise—and a comprehensive view of the complex relationship between human beings and the whole of nature. This classic book remains a valuable resource for philosophers, biologists, and environmentalists alike—along with all those who care about the future of life on Earth. A new foreword by Dale Jamieson looks at how the original 1986 edition of Respect for Nature has shaped the study of environmental ethics, and shows why the work remains relevant to debates today. CONTENTS......Page 8 Foreword to the 25th Anniversary Edition......Page 10 Acknowledgments......Page 14 1. Introduction......Page 18 2. Moral Agents and Moral Subjects......Page 29 3. Formal Conditions for Valid Moral Principles......Page 40 4. Material Conditions for Valid Moral Principles: The Context of Human Ethics......Page 48 5. The Structural Symmetry between Human Ethics and Environmental Ethics......Page 56 6. Biology and Ethics......Page 62 7. A Note on the Ethics of the Bioculture......Page 68 1. Introduction......Page 74 2. The Concept of the Good of a Being......Page 75 3. The Concept of Inherent Worth......Page 86 4. Having and Expressing the Attitude of Respect for Nature......Page 95 5. Respect for Nature as an Ultimate Attitude......Page 105 1. The Biocentric Outlook and the Attitude of Respect for Nature......Page 114 2. Humans as Members of the Earth's Community of Life......Page 116 3. The Natural World as a System of Interdependence......Page 131 4. Individual Organisms as Teleological Centers of Life......Page 134 5. The Denial of Human Superiority......Page 144 6. The Argument for the Biocentric Outlook......Page 171 1. The Basic Rules of Conduct......Page 184 2. Priority Principles......Page 207 3. The Basic Standards of Virtue......Page 213 1. Legal Rights and Moral Rights......Page 234 2. Analysis of the Assertion of Moral Rights......Page 241 3. The Defeasibility of Rights......Page 256 4. Is it Logically Conceivable for Animals and/or Plants to Have Moral Rights?......Page 260 5. A Modified Concept of Moral Rights......Page 266 1. The General Problem of Competing Claims......Page 271 2. Human Rights and the Inherent Worth of Nonhumans......Page 275 3. Five Priority Principles for the Fair Resolution of Conflicting Claims......Page 278 a. The Principle of Self-Defense......Page 279 b. The Principle of Proportionality......Page 284 c. The Principle of Minimum Wrong......Page 295 d. The Principle of Distributive Justice......Page 306 e. The Principle of Restitutive Justice......Page 319 4. The Ethical Ideal of Harmony between Human Civilization and Nature......Page 322 5. The Normative Function of the Ethical Ideal......Page 325 BIBLIOGRAPHY......Page 330 INDEX......Page 340 CONTENTS 8 Foreword to the 25th Anniversary Edition 10 Acknowledgments 14 ONE. ENVIRONMENTAL ETHICS AND HUMAN ETHICS 18 1. Introduction 18 2. Moral Agents and Moral Subjects 29 3. Formal Conditions for Valid Moral Principles 40 4. Material Conditions for Valid Moral Principles: The Context of Human Ethics 48 5. The Structural Symmetry between Human Ethics and Environmental Ethics 56 6. Biology and Ethics 62 7. A Note on the Ethics of the Bioculture 68 Two. THE ATTITUDE OF RESPECT FOR NATURE 74 1. Introduction 74 2. The Concept of the Good of a Being 75 3. The Concept of Inherent Worth 86 4. Having and Expressing the Attitude of Respect for Nature 95 5. Respect for Nature as an Ultimate Attitude 105 THREE. THE BIOCENTRIC OUTLOOK ON NATURE 114 1. The Biocentric Outlook and the Attitude of Respect for Nature 114 2. Humans as Members of the Earth's Community of Life 116 3. The Natural World as a System of Interdependence 131 4. Individual Organisms as Teleological Centers of Life 134 5. The Denial of Human Superiority 144 6. The Argument for the Biocentric Outlook 171 FOUR. THE ETHICAL SYSTEM 184 1. The Basic Rules of Conduct 184 2. Priority Principles 207 3. The Basic Standards of Virtue 213 FIVE. Do ANIMALS AND PLANTS HAVE RIGHTS? 234 1. Legal Rights and Moral Rights 234 2. Analysis of the Assertion of Moral Rights 241 3. The Defeasibility of Rights 256 4. Is it Logically Conceivable for Animals and/or Plants to Have Moral Rights? 260 5. A Modified Concept of Moral Rights 266 SIX. COMPETING CLAIMS AND PRIORITY PRINCIPLES 271 1. The General Problem of Competing Claims 271 2. Human Rights and the Inherent Worth of Nonhumans 275 3. Five Priority Principles for the Fair Resolution of Conflicting Claims 278 a. The Principle of Self-Defense 279 b. The Principle of Proportionality 284 c. The Principle of Minimum Wrong 295 d. The Principle of Distributive Justice 306 e. The Principle of Restitutive Justice 319 4. The Ethical Ideal of Harmony between Human Civilization and Nature 322 5. The Normative Function of the Ethical Ideal 325 BIBLIOGRAPHY 330 INDEX 340 What rational justification is there for conceiving of all living things as possessing inherent worth? This title draws on biology, moral philosophy, and environmental science to defend a biocentric environmental ethic in which all life has value.