Nature Ethics

In Nature Ethics: An Ecofeminist Perspective, Marti Kheel explores the underlying worldview of “nature ethics,” offering an alternative ecofeminist perspective. She focuses on four prominent representatives of holist philosophy: two early conservationists (Theodore Roosevelt and Aldo Leopold) and two contemporary philosophers (Holmes Rolston III, and transpersonal ecologist Warwick Fox). Kheel argues that in directing their moral allegiance to abstract constructs (e.g. species, the ecosystem, or the transpersonal Self) these influential nature theorists represent a masculinist orientation that devalues concern for individual animals. Seeking to heal the divisions among the seemingly disparate movements and philosophies of feminism, animal advocacy, environmental ethics, and holistic health, Kheel proposes an ecofeminist philosophy that underscores the importance of empathy and care for individual beings as well as larger wholes.

Author Biography

Marti Kheel is a visiting scholar at the Graduate Theological Union. She is a leading scholar and activist in ecofeminism, environmental ethics and animal advocacy. Her articles have been widely published in anthologies, such as Environmental Ethics; Reweaving the World: The Emergence of Ecofeminism; Ecofeminism: Women, Animals and Nature; Animals and Women: Feminist Theoretical Explorations; and Food for Thought: The Debate over Eating Meat. Her personal website is http://juxtaprose.com/client/martikheel/build/.