The notion of ‘loving nature’ is often presented as a fundamental truth in early moral education, or perhaps serves as a curated tag for one’s social media profile. However, under theoretical scrutiny, both ‘love’ and ‘nature’ require rigorous re-examination—to to say nothing about the act of connecting the two.
This talk seeks to combine the fruitful practices of multispecies ethnography in recent anthropology with insights from care theory to analyse the reflective spaces hidden within the concept of loving nature. From this point of departure, I aim to consider the limits and possibilities of ethical discourse within the Anthropocene. On the one hand, we must realise that nature, when objectified as a monolithic whole, is not inherently ‘natural’ itself. On the other hand, care studies—represented notably by feminism—reveal that practices appearing to be rooted in love often mask significant structural concealments. Even setting aside critical analysis, the practice of caring for non-human beings is not invariably a beautiful experience.
