The lion and the lamb: ecological implications of Martha Nussbaum's animal ethics

Abstract

Martha Nussbaum's translation of her list of human capabilities into one for animals is based on controversial assumptions and results in controversial prescriptions. Here one of Nussbaum's arguments – that, other things being equal, the promotion of animal capabilities implies a duty to prevent harm to animals – is taken to its logical extremes. The consequences of such a duty are immense, yet perfectly consistent with Nussbaum's conviction that ‘the natural’ must be replaced by ‘the just’. Surprisingly, this duty to politicise nature is based on individualistic premises that are not specifically Nussbaumian but are instead widely shared. From the point of view of classical political ecologists, the implication is that caring for animals on individualist grounds may well be bad for nature.