It's not every day that the a major mainstream media outlet like the New York Times picks up on a matter of concern for animistic Pagans of the nation. Apparently, there is a first-of-its-kind lawsuit going on to determine if non-human persons have legal standing as persons within the United States:
I wish I could be more optimistic about the prospects for this passing, but environmental ethics - and even the thought of treating non-huamans as persons - is so foreign and backlogged as an idea in my country that I'm doubting we are going to be this progressive. To us Pagans, many of us are animists and have a deeper appreciation of the rights non-human persons deserve already, so I wanted to get your thoughts about this particular development. In a nation where we manage to say human corporations are persons, you'd think we could manage to recognize the importance of ecosystems...
"If successful, it could upend environmental law, possibly allowing the redwood forests, the Rocky Mountains or the deserts of Nevada to sue individuals, corporations and governments over resource pollution or depletion. Future lawsuits in its mold might seek to block pipelines, golf courses or housing developments and force everyone from agriculture executives to mayors to rethink how they treat the environment."
Corporations Have Rights. Why Shouldn’t Rivers?
Corporations Have Rights. Why Shouldn’t Rivers?
I wish I could be more optimistic about the prospects for this passing, but environmental ethics - and even the thought of treating non-huamans as persons - is so foreign and backlogged as an idea in my country that I'm doubting we are going to be this progressive. To us Pagans, many of us are animists and have a deeper appreciation of the rights non-human persons deserve already, so I wanted to get your thoughts about this particular development. In a nation where we manage to say human corporations are persons, you'd think we could manage to recognize the importance of ecosystems...