Jusnaturalist (@jusnaturalist)

Natural law and ecology Natural law is fundamentally ecological, since it is derived from the very order of nature, and aims to preserve nature. In contrast, positive rights are ideas exclusive to human beings. A current positive right is that man must save the planet. Yet it is man who was engendered in nature, not the other way round. Nature did not need man to exist, and does not need him to subsist. Man cannot destroy the universe; at most, he can act as a cataclysm. However, cataclysm is natural: meteorites, volcanoes, earthquakes, viruses, the sun's activity, predators and so on. Man has as much right to be a cataclysm as these other elements! On the other hand, man is the only natural being who has the capacity to refuse to be destroyed, which implies that man has the natural right to be a cataclysm for all the elements of nature, except himself. Man has the right to kill plants, animals and trees, to modify his environment, but he does not have the right to attack man. Ecology is therefore not about saving the planet at man's expense, but rather about preserving the natural environment that man needs for his survival. An ecological policy that would violate man's natural rights under the pretext of possibly preserving his environment is outlawed. Here we have the same problem as with health: a proven aggression is required to legitimize an aggression in return. The precautionary principle can only be applied freely, never under duress, because as long as an aggression is hypothetical, we have no right to respond to it with a proven aggression. Some will say that if we do nothing, it will be too late. Perhaps, but that's the natural order. If man ends up one day provoking a cataclysm that destroys his environment and causes his disappearance, because he refused to give in to a precautionary principle that demanded violating the natural rights of his fellow human beings, then we have a natural cataclysm on the same level as a meteorite or a volcano. Precautionary principles do not prevent death, suffering, accidents or cataclysms, but they do harm many people when they violate their natural rights. Death, suffering, accidents and cataclysms are part of the natural order, whereas attacking others under the pretext of the precautionary principle runs counter to this order and saves nothing at all. The real issue in ecology is to resolve conflicts between two natural rights. This requires dedicated thought, with the search for a compromise acceptable to both parties. Human genius will always find solutions, but to do so, it must seek to do so in a spirit of freedom and respect for all.