The Ethics of Respect for Nature

This chapter shows how the taking of a certain ultimate moral attitude toward nature has a central place in the foundations of a life-centered system of environmental ethics. It presents the foundational structure for a life-centered theory of environmental ethics. The structure consists of three interrelated components. First is the adopting of a certain ultimate moral attitude toward nature, “respect for nature.” Second is a belief system that constitutes a way of conceiving of the natural world and of our place in it. Third is a system of moral rules and standards for guiding our treatment of those ecosystems and life communities, a set of normative principles which give concrete embodiment or expression to the attitude of respect for nature. The ethics of respect for nature is made up of three basic elements: a belief system, an ultimate moral attitude, and a set of rules of duty and standards of character.