The possibility of deriving an environmental ethics from Nietzsche’s philosophy has been rejected by most scholars. While they acknowledge that Nietzsche’s thought holds value as a pars destruens, that is, in showing the devaluation of nature embedded in much of Western philosophy, they deny that it can offer a constructive contribution to environmental ethics. In contrast, this project aims to demonstrate that Nietzsche’s thought does provide the foundations for an environmental ethics capable of potentially restoring our lost harmony with nature.
In my project-related essays, both published and in press, I have already demonstrated how we can infer an ethics of place from the middle-period works of Nietzsche’s thought. This ethics of place has the potential to foster individuals’ attachment to the places in which they live and, consequently, promote environmentally-friendly behavior. I am the first to make the case for an environmental ethics within Nietzsche’s philosophy, specifically an ethics of place.
This ethics of place can potentially have a quite significant societal impact. Indeed, it has been acknowledged that fostering citizens’ attachment to their place may in turn lead them to take care of it, ultimately promoting environmentally-friendly behaviour. Particularly emblematic is the case of the Government of Western Australia, which in its State Sustainability Strategy (2003) listed the love of place or ‘attainment of a sense of place’ among its main objectives. This document stresses the importance of developing a sense of place with the aim of taking care of it. In this respect, a Nietzschean ethics of place has the potential of enhancing people’s environmental awareness, which in turn may contribute to shaping a more environmentally-friendly society.
