The problem with outrageous examples is that somebody takes them seriously. What we would have thought would be an obviously absurd claim, is offered with a straight face. What's worse is when a government actually proposes it.
Swiss law is on the verge of recognizing plant rights. An ethics panel has been asked to consider the dignity of plants and to protect the unjust taking of plant life. (I'm pretty sure they haven't taken up the dignity and life of unborn human beings.)
We live in a time when all kinds of rights are asserted. People claim a right because we all know we have an obligation to respect innate rights. But rights cannot be claimed out of thin air or simply asserted. Rights are a just claim to something. They have to be based on some justification, rationale, or argument. They have to be grounded in a worldview that has the explanatory resources to make sense out of rights. Rights, in a sense, are rooted in a larger argument. They must be grounded properly in that background. This is called "the grounding problem" in ethics and it's a big problem for many points of view. The moral claim must have some basis for it to make sense and have incumbency.
Plants rights are an assertion. Without proper grounding, we are not obligated to take such rights claims seriously.
Wesley J. Smith sums up the problem that this silly claim is a symptom of.
What is clear, however, is that Switzerland's enshrining of "plant dignity" is a symptom of a cultural disease that has infected Western civilization, causing us to lose the ability to think critically and distinguish serious from frivolous ethical concerns. It also reflects the triumph of a radical anthropomorphism that views elements of the natural world as morally equivalent to people.
Why is this happening? Our accelerating rejection of the Judeo-Christian world view, which upholds the unique dignity and moral worth of human beings, is driving us crazy. Once we knocked our species off its pedestal, it was only logical that we would come to see fauna and flora as entitled to rights.
I agree that the idea of rights needs to be grounded in something. But how do we demonstrate this to a world that has rejected God, the Bible and Christian principles in general?
Posted by: Mo | May 07, 2008 at 10:27 AM
In my honest opinion, I think we should let the plants speak for themselves. I don’t want to put words in their mouth. ;)
Posted by: Brandon | May 07, 2008 at 12:05 PM
Environmentalists are already protecting plant "rights." Isn't it a city ordinance in some places that you have to get permission to trim your trees?
Posted by: Katy | May 07, 2008 at 01:29 PM
Does this mean I will have to quit mowing my lawn? No more WeedEater?
Posted by: deborah | May 07, 2008 at 05:02 PM
I don't want to go over the top, but if there is to be an end-times reign of an antichrist, it will be full of fraudulently compassionate dictates that simulate Christian virtues ...
Posted by: Steve | May 07, 2008 at 05:48 PM
And the name of the mini-series that documents their oppression.....
Roots
Posted by: Francis Beckwith | May 08, 2008 at 12:30 AM
Roots - that's precious! haha
Posted by: JamieC | May 08, 2008 at 10:17 AM
I think the Swiss are showing thought leadership here that lesser mortals like you all are unable to grasp. The swiss will rightfully recognize the innate dignity that all plants are entitled to. They will hereby protect all plants and their offspring in various forms (including seed bearing fruit). The Swiss shall no longer eat plants. And out of protest, they shall no longer eat animals that eat plants either. The Swiss will live on water from henceforth. The Swiss shall rightfully die of starvation.
Posted by: karthik | May 08, 2008 at 10:39 AM
Yes, Dr. Beckwith - you've touched upon the grounding issue!
Posted by: Mike | May 08, 2008 at 01:47 PM
C'mon guys. It's not easy being green.
Posted by: BillyHW | May 08, 2008 at 08:57 PM
Listen up brothers and sisters, come here my desperate tale
I speak of our friends of nature, trapped in the dirt like a jail
Vegetables live in oppression, served on out tables each night
This killing of veggies is madness, I say we take up the fight
Salads are only for murderers, cole slaw's a fascist regime
Don't think that they don't have feelings, just cause a radish can't scream
I've heard the screams of the vegetables, watching their skins being peeled
Grated and steamed with no mercy.. how do you think that feels?
Carrot juice constitutes murder.. greenhouses prisons for slaves
It's time to stop all this gardening.. let's call a spade a spade.
Except From the song Carrot Juice is Murder by the Arrogant Worms
Posted by: Wanda Zippler | May 09, 2008 at 04:27 AM
Seriously I just found a UNIVERSAL DECLARATION OF PLANT RIGHTS http://www.avepalmas.org/rights.htm
http://www.avepalmas.org/
Claims to be a United Nations Educational Science and Cultural Organization!
Posted by: Wanda Zippler | May 09, 2008 at 04:54 AM
I'm still waiting for someone to take "whizzing in the Spirit" seriously.
I won't be surprised when it happens.
Posted by: Mike Westfall | May 09, 2008 at 05:40 PM