
What if nature, like corporations, had the rights and protections of a person? - teaman2000
https://theconversation.com/what-if-nature-like-corporations-had-the-rights-and-protections-of-a-person-64947
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gozur88
>In recent years, the U.S. Supreme Court has solidified the concept of
corporate personhood. Following rulings in such cases as Hobby Lobby and
Citizens United, U.S. law has established that companies are, like people,
entitled to certain rights and protections.

Well, yes. And the reason is corporations _are_ people who've pooled their
resources for a business venture. I don't lose my right to free speech just
because I'm part of a group. Otherwise we would have laws curtailing the
speech of unions, interest groups like the Sierra Club, and even political
parties.

The author assumes the courts have gifted rights to corporations and can
therefor gift the same rights to nature, but that's not what's going on. In
_Citizens United_ and _Hobby Lobby_ the court is simply recognizing the
existing rights of the members who make up the corporation. "Nature" has never
had rights, and there isn't any legal or philosophical framework to support
such a concept.

