Widely regarded as the foremost Norwegian philosopher and one of the most influential intellectuals of the twentieth century, Arne Naess was an inspirational figure within the environmental movement of the late twentieth century.
Selected quotes from Arne Naess
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“Care flows naturally if the self is widened and deepened so that protection of free nature is felt and conceived of as protection of our very selves. we must find and develop therapies which heal our relations with the widest community, that of all living beings.”
-Arne Naess -
“Now is the time to share with all life on our maltreated earth by deepening our identification with all life-forms, with the ecosystems, and with Gaia, this fabulous, old planet of ours. we need the immense variety of sources of joy opened through increased sensitivity toward the richness and diversity of life, through the profound cherishing of free natural landscapes.”
-Arne Naess -
“The smaller one comes to feel compared to the mountain, the nearer one comes to sharing in its greatness. I don’t know why this is so.”
—Arne Naess
Arne Dekke Eide Næss (Urban East Norwegian: [ˈɑ̂ːɳə ˈdɛ̂kːə ˈæ̂ɪdə ˈnɛsː]; 27 January 1912 – 12 January 2009) was a Norwegian philosopher who coined the term “deep ecology“, an important intellectual and inspirational figure within the environmental movement of the late twentieth century, and a prolific writer on many other philosophical issues.[7] Næss cited Rachel Carson‘s 1962 book Silent Spring as being a key influence in his vision of deep ecology. Næss combined his ecological vision with Gandhian nonviolence and on several occasions participated in direct action.
Næss averred that while western environmental groups of the early post–World War II period had raised public awareness of the environmental issues of the time, they had largely failed to have insight into and address what he argued were the underlying cultural and philosophical background to these problems. Næss believed that the environmental crisis of the twentieth century had arisen due to certain unspoken philosophical presuppositions and attitudes within modern western developed societies which remained unacknowledged.[8]
He thereby distinguished between what he called deep and shallow ecological thinking. In contrast to the prevailing utilitarian pragmatism of western businesses and governments, he advocated that a true understanding of nature would give rise to a point of view that appreciates the value of biological diversity, understanding that each living thing is dependent on the existence of other creatures in the complex web of interrelationships that is the natural world.[8]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arne_N%C3%A6ss
Resources
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Book: “Thinking Like A Mountain”, By John Seed, Joanna Macy, Arnes Naess and Pat Fleming
Published in 1988, this seminal text by John Seed, Joanna Macy, Arne Naess and Pat Fleming outlines their collective vision for Deep Ecology process. Originally referred to as a “Council of All Beings” these group therapeutic processes aimed at healing humanities’ illusion of separation from the natural world, as a response to the multifaceted challenges…
One response to “Profile: Arne Naess”
[…] like A Mountain – towards a Council of All Beings’ with John Seed, Joanna Macy and Arne Naess, and contributing a chapter to the recent book ‘A Wild Love for the World – Joanna Macy and […]