Adapted from a comment to NPR 13.7 Cosmos and Culture blog: On Alien Intelligence, The Supernatural and Divinity
tomlet said: "But we're one of our greatest threats to continued existence..."
I think it is our departure from our basic moral precepts that endangers the health of the environment that sustains us, and that endangers, also, our communities and society.
If moral precepts are a kind of natural law, then our neglect of a whole category of human rights called 'public property rights' constitutes a disregard of natural law...
An inattention to natural law will always bring adverse consequences, as when a person makes a wrong step while on a ladder and suffers a fall as a result. There was a momentary inattention to the law of gravity, which results in a mishap.
The idea that public property rights should be respected reflects a moral precept that says that natural wealth belongs to all and should be shared equally. By neglecting or giving scant attention to this moral precept (this natural law), we perpetuate extreme poverty as a persistent condition for millions of people across the world. This makes for a less just and less stable society.
Neglect of public property rights means depletion of the planet's resources and degradation of natural systems, to the detriment of future generations and the larger community of life.
Respect of public property rights implies some sort of payment to the people by corporations when they take resources or put pollution. This would mean, then, that pursuit of profit (attempts to reduce operating costs) will mean reduced environmental impact. Normal operation of the corporation in the form of profit-seeking behavior is no longer at cross-purposes to society at large. What's good for the corporation is good for the environment, and vice-versa.
Collapse of civilization will follow neglect of natural law.
http://gaiabrain.blogspot.com
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