From genetically modified foods to assisted reproduction, an increasing number of social debates feature what might be called “moral views about nature” – claims that nature or a natural state of affairs possesses some special value that should be weighed in moral decision-making and protected in public policy. These views take a variety of forms and arguably do not involve any clear understanding of what “nature” is. Yet they have enduring power in everyday discussion and, recently, wider acceptance in the scholarly literature, giving them increasing clout in a range of contemporary social and policy debates.