Inalienable Obligations

Inalienable Obligations: A Value System for Life, from Time, by Timothy B. Higginson, proposes a fundamental transformation in how humanity understands its responsibilities to one another, future generations, and the living Earth.

Challenging the human-centered foundations of traditional rights-based systems, Higginson argues that creating just societies and a flourishing planet requires replacing the primacy of "inalienable rights" with "inalienable obligations."

Drawing on a theory of time and the science of evolution, the book explores how life has evolved and thrived through approximately 3.7 billion years of interconnected biodiversity. From this foundation, Higginson develops the concept of "harmonious biodiversity," a science-based value system and jurisprudential framework intended to guide human behavior, law, public policy, business, and institutional decision-making.

The book examines why existing legal and political systems have failed to ensure justice for humanity or protect the ecosystems upon which all life depends. It proposes an alternative grounded in obligations inherent in existence itself, extending beyond humanity to the entire biosphere.

Written for readers interested in philosophy, science, law, environmental sustainability, and social change, Inalienable Obligations invites a fundamental reconsideration of the values guiding civilization and offers a framework for building a just and enduring future for life on Earth.