Perhaps in Thoreau we can find an example of a healthy balance of values and concerns. Clearly, he values nature; but he doesn't stop there. He is also concerned about his fellow human beings, in particular, he is forcefully opposed to slavery.
Since we have finite time and energy we all have to make choices as to what values we will make our own and defend during the course of our lives. But we need balance--how can one focus on protecting the environment without also taking a stand on protecting the human rights of one's fellow human beings? Otherwise, there would seem to be an odd disconnect, since the two are related. When human rights are protected there is a foundation for broadening the sphere of rights to include non-human life. And how can the rights of non-human life be sustained in a world which doesn't respect fundamental human rights?
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