Moral obligation
An interesting and emerging emotional political ecology sparked from the restoration of the American Chestnut is the moral obligation to restore the species. Rex expanded on this by saying:
“We are the only species that has this amazing piece of hamburger between our ears that’s developed to the point where we can read, we can study science, we can learn science, and then we can apply it in amazing ways to accomplish great things.”
Rex, Wednesday June 28, 2023
Developing a moral code for Rex is rooted partially in religious and cosmological beliefs which was also shared by his father who was a Baptist preacher and witnessed the Blight’s effect from the beginning. The justification for what is the ‘right thing to do’ in regard to the Chestnut restoration is very contingent on the individual’s beliefs and ethical outlook in life. But the role humans have in the trajectory of the American Chestnut is a highly political debate ongoing and will continue as long as there are people who believe in the restoration of the species (Srinivasan and Kasturirangan, 2016).
