Beyond Human Rights : A Deep Ecological Justification For The Rights Of Nature
Year: 2025
Type: dissertation
Abstract: The rights of nature challenge anthropocentric traditions by recognizing ecosystems as legal and moral subjects. While legal frameworks in Ecuador (2008), Bolivia (2010), and New Zealand (2017) grant rights to nature, their theoretical justification remains contested. This thesis evaluates key arguments, examining David R. Boyd’s legal advocacy (2018) and Anna Grear’s critique of juridical subjectivity (2018). While Boyd expands legal personhood, Grear exposes its anthropocentric limits. To address conceptual gaps in these arguments, this research constructs a philosophical justification for nature’s rights, starting from Arne Naess’s Deep Ecology (1987). By rethinking the ecological self, intrinsic value, and self-realization, the thesis moves beyond extending rights from human-centered frameworks and instead develops an ecocentric foundation. This approach reframes rights not as legal extensions of human will, but as expressions of an ontological shift that dissolves human/nature hierarchies.
Author: Leppe, Benedetta
Language: English
Topic: Environmental law and policy
Subfield: Law
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7045672503