Musings on environmental ethics and our relationship to nature
In the face of climate change, we must fundamentally rethink our relationship with nature. This essay explores key perspectives in environmental ethics, ranging from disenchantment and legal personhood for nature, to deep ecology and Aldo Leopold’s land ethic. Drawing on philosophy, law, and human psychology, it argues for a pluralistic approach: one that both integrates nature into our legal systems and fosters a deeper spiritual and ethical connection to the natural world. Only by recognizing nature not merely as a resource, but as a community to which we belong, can we begin to act with the reverence and responsibility our time demands.