I know I feel very strongly about the importance of conserving biodiversity, but I really can't pin down why it is so important to me, or how to make the argument to convince others that it is important. Can philosophy help?

Philosophy might help in sifting through the possible reasons for conserving biodiversity--not just diversity of species, but also of types of ecosystems and also, perhaps, of genetic diversity within a species. And what is worrying about our current situation, by the way, is not simply that species are going extinct (this has always happened), but that diversity is disappearing at an alarming rate and on an alarming scale--one that is perhaps comparable to the five or so mass extinctions that have taken place over the past 440 million years. And we seem to be causing it! There are surely a number of very good instrumental reasons for preserving biodiversity. First, in biodiversity lies a treasure chest of potential medicines, foods, and other things that might be useful to us. Second, we don't want to lose clues to a more complete understanding of the workings and history of the Earth. Third, for many of us, even non-religious types, the diversity of life is a deep and awesome source of aesthetic and...