ABSTRACT
This chapter looks at Immanuel Kant's argument for our duty to act rationally, which is a milestone in moral philosophy, and then looks at Gandhi's reasoning that doing our duty requires nonviolent action. It considers reasons for asserting a duty not to litter and draw inferences from this argument for the care of nature. The chapter reviews Jewish and Muslim teaching about nature and note the reasons given in Western thought for a duty to protect public land. It also considers our duty to future generations and to those who are poor, before assessing what our duty might be to animals, species, ecosystems, and landscapes. Moral philosophers rely on Kant's deontological argument for our rationality and autonomy to justify asserting the rights of individuals. Gandhi's argument for respecting all persons does not rely on their individual autonomy and rationality, but instead affirms the rationality manifested in karma.
