D.H. Lawrence’s bold and genuine expression of the sexual, his preference for the archaic, and his portrayal of the psychedelic experience, resulted in criticism of his attitude as ethically irresponsible. Careful examination of his aesthetic premises reveals how his attempt to stimulate man’s interconnectedness with the human and non-human world stems from a higher moral purpose. Following Derridean and Lacanian approaches, this paper examines “The Man Who Loved Islands,” “The Woman Who Rode Away,” and Sea and Sardinia in order to show how his style and subject-matter engage profound ecological and existential concerns. More importantly, this analysis emphasizes that Lawrence’s expression of jouissance and his conception of man’s fragility in relation to nature draws attention to nature-as-process, as a living and evolving organism. He offers an artistic antecedent to James Lovelock’s scientific “Gaia theory.” Inasmuch as Lawrence expresses concern for both man and the natural world, he is ethically responsible.