This article from National Review Online is ostensibly about environmentalist opposition to John Roberts. Apparently they’re upset because Roberts, like Bill Clinton, wants to put people first (over the rights of toads that is). But the most interesting aspect of the article is about the relationship between groups like the Sierra Club and Earth Justice and the philosophy known as deep ecology. This from the NRO article:
“It’s clear that environmental groups have never regarded the ESA simply as a legal process to protect species. For them it’s the enforcement mechanism of their philosophical convictions, in particular of an ideology called ?Deep Ecology.? Deep Ecology is the construct of a Norwegian philosopher, Arne Naess, who carried to extremes the not unreasonable assertion that all living things have an intrinsic worth. But here’s what Naess said: ‘The right of all forms [of life] to live is a universal right which cannot be quantified.’ He also said, ‘No single species of living being has more of this particular right to live and unfold than any other species.’
Proponents of Deep Ecology like to claim that they value the richness and diversity of all life. But in fact they value some lives less than others. Naess’s 4th Principle of Deep Ecology states, ‘The flourishing of human life and cultures is compatible with a substantial decrease of the human population. The flourishing of nonhuman life requires such a decrease.’ ”
The article goes on to point out the Foundation for Deep Ecology, founded by Esprit clothing CEO Doug Tompkins, “has given $109,000 to Friends of the Earth, $35,000 to the Sierra Club Foundation, and $5000 to Earthjustice” since 2000.
