Environmental Philosophy and Ethics

8. Deep Ecology

2. Paradigm

  • A mental image of social reality that guides expectations in society. (Bill Devall)
  • Ideas and values that significantly influence the world. (Fritjof Capra)
    • The cosmos as composed of elementary particles.
    • The human body as a machine.
    • Life as a competitive struggle for existence.
    • Unlimited material progress.
    • The female as subservient to the male.

3. Arne Naess

  • Born 1912. Professor at 27.
  • Norwegian philosopher.
  • Studied in Paris, Vienna, and Berkeley.
  • David Rothenberg, Is It Painful to Think? Conversations with Arne Naess (1993).
  • 1972: Coined the term "deep ecology."
  • 4. Deep Ecology

  • Bill Devall: "Deepness is settling into the stream of things as they are. It means moving down into cooler, more profound waters. It involves us in a quality of openness to the flow of change."
  • "Transformation in a fluid state can occur in a quiet, slow-moving steam or a swift-moving mountain river."
  • 5. Arne Naess Climbing

  • With first wife, Else Hertzberg.
  • "She wasn't just doing the things I liked to do. She liked them, too. At least I think she did."
  • Mountaineer, climber, thinker, philosopher.
  • 6. Deep Ecology

  • Mind in Nature: An intermingling of person and Other. Gregory Bateson.
  • Subversive ecology: "a sensuous intuiting of natural harmonies on the largest scale; a concerned listening with the third ear." Theodore Roszak.
  • Enfolding. "We are enfolded, involved, and engaged within the living, terrestrial environment." J. Baird Callicott.
  • 7. Arne Naess on Thin Ice

  • "Life is like running on thin ice." (Jens Bjorneboe.)
  • Influenced by Spinoza and Gandhi.
  • 1968. Resigned his philosophy position at University of Oslo to try to save the earth.
  • 8. Arne Naess, Deep Ecology

  • "The Shallow and the Deep, Long-Range Ecology Movement," Presented as a paper in Bucharest in 1972, published in Inquiry, 16 (1973).
  • Ecosophy: a philosophy of ecological harmony.
  • Sophia = wisdom. Policy wisdom and prescription, not just scientific description.
  • 9. Roots of Deep Ecology

  • Baruch Spinoza, Dutch philosopher 1632-1677.
  • Naturalism: One reality. Both extension and thought. 
  • Pantheism: God in nature. Raised nature to the rank of God.
  • All beings are animated.
  • Man is a mode of God.
  • 10. Roots of Deep Ecology

  • George Santayana, 1863-1952.
  • Harvard philosopher.
  • Complexity of matter.
  • "The spirit and energy of the world is what is acting in us, as the sea is what rises in every little wave."
  • 11. Roots of Deep Ecology

  • Presocratics; primal peoples
  • Henry David Thoreau; John Muir 
  • George Perkins Marsh
  • Process philosophers: A. N. Whitehead, J. Cobb
  • Robinson Jeffers: Falling in love outwards
  • American Indians
  • Buddhism
  • 12. Arne Naess, Deep Ecology

    • Shallow Versus Deep, Long-Range Ecology
      • Relational total-field image; intrinsic relations.
      • Biospherical egalitarianism in principle.
      • Diversity and symbiosis.
      • Anti-class posture.
      • Fight against pollution and resource depletion.
      • Complexity, not complication.
      • Local autonomy and decentralization.

    13. Shallow Versus Deep Ecology

    Shallow Ecology
  • Natural diversity is valuable as a resource.
  • Species should be saved as resources for humans.
  • Pollution should be decreased if it threatens economic growth.

  • Deep Ecology
  • Natural diversity has intrinsic value.
  • Species should be saved for their intrinsic value.
  • Decrease of pollution has priority over economic growth.
  • 14. Shallow Versus Deep Ecology

    Shallow Ecology
  • Population growth threatens ecological equilibrium.
  • "Resource" means resource for humans.
  • Decrease in standard of living is intolerable.
  • Nature is cruel and necessarily so.

  • Deep Ecology
  • Human population is today excessive. Overdeveloped countries.
  • "Resource" means resource for living things.
  • Decrease in quality of life is intolerable.
  • Man is cruel, but not necessarily so.
  • 15. The Ecological Self

  • An identification with all of life. John Seed: "I am protecting the rainforest" means "I am part of the rainforest protecting myself."
  • "It was 'I' that came to life when a bolt of lightening fertilized the chemical soup of 4.5 billion years ago; 'I' crawled out of the Devonian seas and colonized the land."
  • The extended self: We feel the suffering of redwoods, mountains, and watersheds.
  • 16. Living in Mixed Communities

  • Arne Naess. "Self-Realization in Mixed Communities of Humans, Bears, Sheep, and Wolves," 1979. Living in the real world.
  • Bill Devall: The ideal community is one of harmony with nature. Dwelling in a mixed community means exploring our ecological self within the community, not apart from it.
  • How can we live with the wind? Bears?
  • 17. Bill Devall

  • Humboldt State University, Arcata, CA.
  • Sociology Department.
  • Co-author, Deep Ecology (1985).
  • Simple in Means, Rich in Ends (1988).
  • Editor, Clearcut: The Tragedy of Industrial Forestry (1993).
  • 18. Practicing Deep Ecology

    • Simple, elegant means reveal rich experiences. 
    • Quality of living, not standard of living.
    • Life-style based on deep ecological principles:
      • Buy products from one's own bioregion.
      • Reduce energy consumption.
      • Live simply that others may simply live.
      • Right livelihood means not destructive of life.
      • Participation in bioregional actions.

    19. George Sessions

  • Sierra College, Rocklin, CA.
  • Philosophy Department.
  • Co-author, Deep Ecology, 1985.
  • Editor, Deep Ecology for the Twenty-first Century (1995).
  • 20. Arne Naess Building a Fire

  • "In search of the most perfectly ordinary place we could find. Somewhere not spectacular, but a place we could dwell in and make our home for several days-a home in nature without walls." D. Rothenberg.
  • 21. The Deep Ecology Platform

    • Spring 1984, Death Valley.
    • Naess/Sessions. 
    • Apron diagram.
      • 1. Diversity of views. 
      • 2. D.E. platform. 
      • 3. Facts. 
      • 4. Actions.

    22. Ecosophy T

  • Tvergastein cabin, on Hallingskarvet mountain, Norway.
  • Ecosophy T (Tvergastein).
  • Naess's personal deep ecological philosophy.
  • 23. Self-Realization

  • Arne Naess, "Self-Realization: An Ecological Approach to Being in the World," Murdoch University, Australia, 12 March 1986.
  • Self-realization of all beings. Universal Self-realization is the ultimate norm.
  • Not ego-realization, self-expression, or self-interest, i.e. maximum alienation and egotism.
  • Overcoming of a separate ego; increasing maturity and compatibility with others. 
  • 24. Self-Realization

  • Naess's Ecosophy T.
  • S = Self Realization
  • C = Complete
  • P = Potential
  • SP = Self Realization Potentials
  • 25. Fritjof Capra

  • Author of The Tao of Physics (1975).
  • The Turning Point (1982).
  • "Deep Ecology: A New Paradigm" (1987).
  • New paradigm thinking; holistic worldview.