Quote:
Originally Posted by Ralph Sir Edward
If it not alive, it inanimate. I should have no concern about using, changing, shaping, molding, or even scrapping inanimate things. They don't feel, think or sense anything that occurs to them. They can be used anyway that need or expedience required. Misuse of inanimate items is a matter of inefficency, not immorality.
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Well, deep ecologists would disagree. But suppose that we take a human-centred view. There's still a case for respecting plants, ecosystems and the like because we don't know how useful they might be in the future. The contraceptive pill was originally made from Amazonian yams. Yew trees are the source of anti-cancer drugs. Yet many rare plant species are threatened. We could yet regret this lack of forethought.