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A tumor is a part of an organism that has mutated to play a much shorter game than the organism itself. Humanity seems to be a tumor on the biosphere. The industrial revolution is that happy moment when the host was switched to mostly delivering nutrients to the tumor.

The biosphere doesn’t have moral status. Humanity does. Humanity is literally the most important entity in the universe since we are the _only_ important entity in the universe.

Surely non-Universal Explainer yet conscious creatures matter more than unconscious objects?

If so, it is H. Sapiens alone who make this determination. Until such time we can communicate with other species.

Hmm, that is interesting. I see what you're saying, but in addition, don't you think that moral principles exist independently of our existence, much as physical principles do?

I experience moral principles as upstream from my self, i.e. my mind implements them above my systems of belief, and moral principles are rationally interdependent, but they do not exist independently from my mind. They are not physical, but identifications that I can change.

I think they are discovered through social cognition (argument).

In the sense that social cognition is one where other agents are the object, yes. I find the idea that intersubjectivity is a good source for moral principles questionable.