ABSTRACT
The Judaeo–Christian attitude towards nature is clearly homo-centric or people-centred. For the homo-centric, people possess intrinsic value and nature possesses only instrumental value. Nature has value because it sustains human life. Animals and trees are not ends in themselves. Hence we have no direct obligations towards them. They do not have moral standing and are not part of the moral universe. The moral universe is now co-extensive with the natural universe. They are both parts of an integrated ontological system. Homo-centrism, zoo-centrism and bio-centrism all exclude inanimate objects, like Mars, from the moral universe. But if we adopt a cosmo-centric perspective, moral permissibility for humans in space would require further justification. From a cosmic perspective inanimate objects like Mars would have to be assigned some sort of intrinsic value. Every object in the universe must be viewed as unique. Rocks indeed would have moral standing. An idealist ethics would necessarily be cosmic.
