Exploring the last man argument: Evidence on society's disposition toward Nature's legal rights

Legal scholars are discussing the idea of giving nature its own rights. However, this is more likely to occur if the population accepts such rights in principle. To explore this question, we turn the thought experiment known as “The Last Man Argument” into an actual survey experiment. We ask a representative sample of the German population to imagine they are the last human alive and might enjoy destroying the only remaining oak tree. Using a between‐subjects design, we vary the motives for doing so (and, in one treatment, the object of destruction). This thought experiment is unique in removing all possible extrinsic motives for preserving nature, thereby providing clear evidence for humans' belief in nature's intrinsic value and making a case for nature's rights. Most men, and considerably more women, refrain from destroying the oak. This gender difference only disappears when the scenario concerns the destruction of the Brandenburg Gate, a German landmark.