The Value of Life is an exploration of the actual and perceived importance of biological diversity for human beings and society. Stephen R. Kellert identifies ten basic values, which he describes as biologically based, inherent human tendencies that are greatly influenced and moderated by culture, learning, and experience. Drawing on 20 years of original research, he considers:

the universal basis for how humans value nature

differences in those values by gender, age, ethnicity, occupation, and geographic location

how environment-related activities affect values

variation in values relating to different species

how vlaues vary across cultures

policy and management implications

Throughout the book, Kellert argues that the preservation of biodiversity is fundamentally linked to human well-being in the largest sense as he illustrates the importance of biological diversity to the human sociocultural and psychological condition.