Law as if Nature Mattered

Abstract

This quotation, taken out of context, seems to reveal an understanding or recognition of the worth of objects (animate or inanimate) apart from human use. Ironically, Kant goes on to promote an essentially anthropocentric ideal of moral worth. This paradox, characterised by the recognition of the inherent worth of nature and wildlife, and yet an inability to allow these values to be manifest in human communities, continues today and is apparent throughout various disciplines: law, philosophy,literary criticism, cultural geography and others. In legal theory · and environmental ethics this controversy has centred around the question of 'rights,' essentially illustrated by two questions: 1) Does the 'environment> havdnherent worth or intrinsic value and, if so, 2) Could it be a legal rights holder?