Of course the plea for respect for nonhuman life goes far beyond the scientific delight of familiarity with our planet mates. The nonhuman forms of life with which we 6 000 million talking upright apes share this finite planet are directly or indirectly connected to our well-being.
American influence in the world is certainly considerable but the United States does not control directly or indirectly the politics and economics of other societies as empires have always done save for a few special cases that turn out to be the exceptions that prove the rule.
Grant that the true organ with which the beautiful is apprehended is the imagination and it follows that all arts are likely to affect the feelings indirectly.
Even a purely moral act that has no hope of any immediate and visible political effect can gradually and indirectly over time gain in political significance.