The Last Man, not Woman, Problem: A Case Study on Nature’s Legal Rights
Routley’s (1973) thought experiment “The Last Man Argument” becomes an actual experiment. In the event of being the last human alive, we ask visitors of a campus fest if they would destroy the last remaining Oak or the Hercules statue, a landmark in the region. The difference between the number of people who would destroy the Hercules statue or the last Oak is significant. Exposing humans’ belief in nature’s intrinsic value, and hence, making a case for nature’s rights. Also, it exists a divergence between the genders on whether they would destroy the Oak. Ecofeminist theory suggests that the gendered socialization process explains the contrast. Further analysis is needed in societies that have granted rights to nature.