Environmentalism or Individualism? (Part 5: The Value of Nature)
By Robert Bidinotto -- August 15, 2024
Ed. Note: This is Part 5 of a six-part series on the ideology of environmentalism and its incompatibility with the foundational individualist philosophy of the United States. Part 1 is here. Part 2 is here. Part 3 is here. Part 4 is here.
“Yes, we too are part of nature; but our nature is that of a developer…. It’s morally appropriate for us to regard the rest of nature as our environment—as a bountiful palette and endless canvass for our creative works.”
The basic premise of preservationism is that all of nature—except, of course, human nature—has “intrinsic value” in itself, and thus a “right” not to be affected by Man. But this premise, which is the moral core of modern environmentalism, is a colossal fraud.
The simple little question that punctures the balloon of intrinsic value is: Why? Why is the status quo of nature good in itself? No one has ever offered an intelligible answer.
To declare that a Northern spotted owl, a redwood tree, or the course of a river has “intrinsic” or “inherent value in itself,” is to speak gibberish. There’s no inherent “value” or “meaning” residing in nature, or anything else. “Value” presupposes a valuer, and some purpose. It’s only in relation to some valuer and purpose that something can be said to “have value.” Thus, there’s no such thing as “intrinsic value.” The concept is meaningless.
By Robert Bidinotto -- August 15, 2024
Ed. Note: This is Part 5 of a six-part series on the ideology of environmentalism and its incompatibility with the foundational individualist philosophy of the United States. Part 1 is here. Part 2 is here. Part 3 is here. Part 4 is here.
“Yes, we too are part of nature; but our nature is that of a developer…. It’s morally appropriate for us to regard the rest of nature as our environment—as a bountiful palette and endless canvass for our creative works.”
The basic premise of preservationism is that all of nature—except, of course, human nature—has “intrinsic value” in itself, and thus a “right” not to be affected by Man. But this premise, which is the moral core of modern environmentalism, is a colossal fraud.
https://www.masterresource.org/deep-ecology/environmentalism-or-individualism-5/ 
