Arne Naess ( 1912-2009 )

was a Norwegian philosopher, mountaineer, and Green Party activist who founded the school of deep ecology. According to Naess, this ecological philosophy and ethos was inspired by American marine biologist Rachel Carson and further enhanced by the non-violent truth-action strategies of Mahatma Gandhi ( who, by the way, was inspired in part by another American, Henry-David Thoreau ). In brief, Naess argued that, unlike shallow ecology which aimed at reducing pollution and managing resource depletion, deep ecology demanded that humans abandon an anthropocentric view of the ecosphere and connect instead to local culture and environment according to a universal ethos that valued all things in Nature and in ways that were holistic and transcended measures of mere utility. In brief, Naess prioritized Self-realization

- the Self implying consciousness beyond ego and free of super-ego -

over conventional calls for stewardship, large or small. As his ideas gave rise to small but growing ranks of supporters and various calls to action in sometimes disparate fields and arenas, they were often recast as tracts and manifestos in order to fortify their meaning in the face of late 20th century environmental crises. Not unlike the one posted here below, conceived by Naess himself with philosopher friend George Sessions on a camping trip in 1984.

The Platform Principles of the Deep Ecology Movement

1.

The well-being and flourishing of human and nonhuman Life on Earth have value in themselves (synonyms: intrinsic value, inherent value). These values are independent of the usefulness of the nonhuman world for human purposes.

2.

Richness and diversity of life forms contribute to the realizations of these values and are also values in themselves.

3.

Humans have no right to reduce this richness and diversity except to satisfy vital human needs.

4.

The flourishing of human life and cultures is compatible with a substantial decrease of human population. The flourishing of nonhuman life requires such a decrease.

5.

Present human interference with the nonhuman world is excessive, and the situation is rapidly worsening.

6.

Policies must therefore be changed.These policies affect basic economic, technological, and ideological structures. The resulting state of affairs will be deeply different from the present.

7.

The ideological change is mainly that of appreciating life quality (dwelling in situations of inherent value) rather than adhering to an increasingly higher standard of living.There will be a profound awareness of the difference between big and great.

8.

Those who subscribe to the foregoing points have an obligation to directly or indirectly try to implement the necessary changes.