Ethics of Extinction

The Ethics of Extinction is a text document stored in the LOS terminal.

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If a species we consider beautiful and remarkable goes extinct, we consider that a great evil. Dolphins, for example. If dolphins go extinct, that's a great loss. If humanity causes dolphins to go extinct, that's a crime.

But if Yersinia pestis, the bacterium that causes bubonic plague, goes extinct... is that an equally great loss? If not, why not? To Nature, there's no difference, it's all just lifeforms. The only moral framework that allows us to choose between dolphins and the plague is a human one.

What about a species going extinct without anthropogenic factors? Extinction is the norm. If one day dolphins are no longer capable of competing with other species, should we let them go extinct? When the sun finally dies and all life goes extinct, will that be a tragedy? If we can prevent it, should we?

If you believe that extinction is acceptable when Nature does it, but not when we do it, then you don't actually oppose extinction. You don't believe that dolphins are inherently valuable, that they deserve to live and thrive. You just oppose human control - you oppose our ability and responsibility to choose.