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...... Blackstone assumes that human responsibility for environmental changes is a foregone conclusion. Though his assumption here could be debated, for the sake of argument we will assume that he is correct. It does not, however, automatically follow that it is an ethical imperative for mankind to care for and protect the environment in the same manner that society is designed to protect and ensure freedom. In traditional liberal political thinking, an individuals freedom is thought to end where it impinges on someone elses. Blackstone argues that environmental degradation falls into this category, and that one individuals right to a pristine environment supercedes that of other individuals to use that environment in detrimental ways
The general moral theory of liberal political thought is applied fairly consistently by Blackstone until this point. Even this last assertion seems to logically follow the rest of the arguments he has made leading up to it, but a more careful consideration shows this ultimate conclusionthe point of Blackstones argumentto be false. He is basically saying that future environmental use takes precedent over modern use; that the importance of environmental protection for future generations is greater than the current economic and practical needs, and the future

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