Deep Ecology for the Twenty-First Century: Readings on the Philosophy and Practice of the New Environmentalism

by George Sessions

Every day, in newspapers and on television, we read and hear about the ongoing destruction of the the greenhouse effect, ozone layer depletion, deforestation, and air and water pollution. Deep Ecology offers a solution to the environmental crisis through a radical shift in human consciousness—a fundamental change in the way people relate with the environment. Instead of thinking of nature as a resource to be used for human needs, Deep Ecology argues that the true value of nature is intrinsic and independent of its utility. Emerging in the 1980s as an influential philosophical, social, and political movement, Deep Ecology has shaped the environmental debate among leading activists and policymakers—from former Vice-President Al Gore to Dave Forman, cofounder of Earth First!

Deep Ecology for the Twenty-First Century contains thirty-nine articles by the leading writers and thinkers in the filed, offering a comprehensive array of perspectives on this new approach to environmentalism,

   •  The basic philosophy of Deep Ecology.
   •  Its roots in the writings of Henry David Thoreau, John Muir and Rachel Carson.
   •  The relationship of Deep Ecology to social ecology, ecofeminism, the Greens, and New Age futurism.
   •  How Deep Ecology as a way of life is exemplified by two important poet Gary Snyder and Norwegian philosopher Arne Naess.
   •  The philosophical dimensions of this environmental movement by its leading theorist.
   •  The politics of ecological sustainability and the social and political implications of Deep Ecology for the next century.

Genres: Ecology, Philosophy, Nonfiction, Nature, Environment, Spirituality, Sustainability

520 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1994

Reviews

[mark · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is dated, being about the beginning of the environmental movement and then through its publication date in 1995. Many things have changed, some haven't, but it's well worth keeping around and picking up from time to time. It's a history book. One can read of just what is Deep Ecology and its political platform, which I agree with (mostly). The book presents different views, but has a definite agenda. This book dissects philosophy and philosophers of all persuasion, in a readable and easy to understand way. The principals are Arne Naess and Gary Snyder (Jack Kerouac's pal). Deep Ecology's platform is essentially grounded in the belief that human happiness and population growth cannot come at the expense of other animals and the planet, and if you adhere to that premise-- you must act toward implementing change, a course correction which reduces the impact of humans on the rest of the ecosphere, or what Naess calls "Ecosophy T" or a "total view", a Gestalt.
Well, obviously, that's easier said than done. One needs buy-in (agreement) and cooperation from all parties, which doesn't seem likely given the nature of man. Now one point of view examined is that that's the problem--man. That's the Ecofeminist position. What's needed is a change in who controls the levers of power, meaning energy as well as political. I think we are embroiled in that contest/struggle now. We'll see how that shakes out.
A good companion read is Bobbi Low's "Why Sex Matters" (That's one thing that has not changed. Or will it?) Low lays out five ways the current problem of overpopulation and consumption have been and are approached, and that well, again, one needs buy-in and so on and so forth. She thinks that's unlikely but thinks we (humans) will find a way through. The Deep Ecology position is darker (we're doomed), or conversely, less realistic, in my opinion.
I highly recommend this book.

[Kin · Rating 5 out of 5]

The most complete collections of articles on Deep Ecology so far, i have been looking for reading materials about this topic for over a year and I can say this from my desperate search for a good reference. Even though the book is quite old now, it is amazing how all the articles are still very relevant now. It gives you different aspects of Deep Ecology and even tackles criticism of the topic.

A very well-made book for anyone who is seriously interested in Deep Ecology or Ecocentrism. Highly recommend!

[Anthony Signorelli]

If only this book stepped up to its title. It is about ecology, but I did not find it very deep. Intellectual, yes. Thoughtful yes. Deep? More like ideological. Maybe it is just me, but a book that claims to be deep ought to provide some surprising insights. Unfortunately, most of these were predictable--even at the time I read it in 1995.

[Steven H · Rating 5 out of 5]

AN EXCELLENT COLLECTION OF ESSAYS, INTERVIEWS AND WRITINGS

George Sessions is an Emeritus Professor of Philosophy at Sierra College, and co-author of Deep Ecology: Living as if Nature Mattered. (Sessions admits that 'Deep Ecology' "was hastily written in Utah over a two-week period at the insistence of the publisher, based upon a previously contracted book of academic papers. The haste was thought necessary in order to compete with another book of the same title... which, as it turned out, had little to do with Deep Ecology." Pg. xxvii)

He wrote in the Preface to this 1995 book, "In Part One ... various theorists discuss their views of the nature of Deep Ecology and the issues the movement addresses... Part Two discusses the history of the development of the Deep Ecology movement... Part Three consists of papers by Arne Naess... Part Four addresses the issue of the relation of the Deep Ecology movement to Social Ecology, Ecofeminism, the New Age, and the Greens... Part Five involves discussions of wilderness and the wild... Part Six centers on discussions of the politics of ecological sustainability." The authors in this collection include Thomas Berry, Fritjof Capra, Gary Snyder, Dave Foreman, Arne Naess, and Sessions himself---along with many others.

Sessions criticizes Al Gore's book Earth in the Balance: Ecology and the Human Spirit as well as Murray Bookchin, arguing that "For critics such as Bookchin and Gore to substantiate their claims that the Deep Ecology position is essentially misanthropic, they would have to show the ECOCENTRISM is essentially misanthropic. To my knowledge, no such serious argumentation has occured and the case has not been made." (Pg. xiii)

Naess defines the essence of deep ecology as, "to ask deeper questions... (it) involves a shift from science to wisdom." (Pg. 27) He admits that "Ecosophies" are "not religions in the classical sense. They are better characterized as GENERAL philosophies, in the sense of total views, inspired in part by the science of ecology." (Pg. 79) He also notes that "It is of considerable importance that the Deep Ecology movement has so far faced no serious philosophically-based criticism." (Pg. 211) He also adds that he is an optimist, "in reaction to the so-called doomsday prophets: people who talk as IF they mean nothing can be done to straighten things out." (Pg. 463)

This broad and deep collection will be of considerable interest to students of environmentalism and earth-centered spirituality.

[Sophia · Rating 1 out of 5]

This review will deal specifically with the writings in this book by Arne Naess, the flaws of which are explained thoroughly in a letter from Ted Kaczynski in which he reviews this book. You can read it in full here (it starts about halfway through), I strongly recommend it.

In this letter Kaczynski critiques Arne Naess's ideology for being impractical, arguing that it is impossible to rationally direct the development of a society, especially through a set of principles or values that individuals are meant to adhere to. He cites numerous examples of failed attempts to steer the development of society in the past, then states:

"Thus, Naess’s proposal to change society through propagation of Deep Ecology philosophy is nothing but a pipe-dream. Any attempt to guide the development of a society through the introduction of philosophical principles, to which people are supposed to remain faithful for centuries, is a pipe-dream. People may continue to pay lip-service to the principles, but the majority will not in practice govern their behavior according to the principles over any extended period."

There are many other faults with Naess's proposal that Kaczynski explains as well, from the fact that it does not offer one clear, concise goal to the contradiction between advocating for preserving human life even at a cost to the ecosystem when Naess otherwise claims that the welfare of the ecosystem should take precedence over human welfare. This confused and muddled attempt at offering an ideology for people to adhere to in order to solve the environmental crisis is incredibly naïve, and only serves to distract the public from the root of the problem: the technological system itself. Naess fails to provide a realistic solution that takes into account that it is the technological system that requires the subjugation of wild nature in order to perpetuate itself. Readers that are looking for a work that actually gets to the root of the problem and what should be done about it are encouraged to read Technological Slavery and Anti-Tech Revolution: Why and How.

[Roseville Nidea · Rating 5 out of 5]

Only by living the deep ecology philosophy that one would have a deep understanding of it. Otherwise, it would remain another tale that one can only tell or talk about for the sake of argument.

Hypocrisy is the great sin most of us is capable of committing, after all.

[Amory Abbott · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good introduction to the deep ecology movement. George sessions lays a lot of foundation for the green revolution and the dark ecology movement rising from its ashes.

[Minx · Rating 4 out of 5]

Many of these essays tend to repeat the same points.
Nevertheless there is some really useful historical info here about the roots of Deep Ecology.

[Linda · Rating 2 out of 5]

Deep Ecology for the Twenty-First Century contained thoughtful essays related to the deep ecology movement. Some pieces were too wordy or theoretical and I admit I did do some skimming. Jerry Mander's essay Leaving the Earth: Space Colonies, Disney and EPCOT left the greatest impression on me as it was both entertaining and scary.

[C · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a good collections of articles on deep ecology. I can't say that I agree hands down with everything written in here but I generally agree with the concepts and viewpoints.
It is a good introduction to the philosophy of deep ecology for anyone interested.

[Brooke Gilley · Rating 2 out of 5]

Could not get through all of this. The authors have compelling thoughts such as the "Original Trauma." Greatly backs up the work of Richard Louv's book 'Last Child in the Woods." However, this book is too dry for my taste. Not a page turner in any regards.

[Chad · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great collection of essays and provided me with a spectacular and multi-faceted introduction to Deep Ecology.

[Jan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Early views in the movement to preserve the earth. Some is a bit pedantic, but it's an early attempt to bring the issues of the environment into view.

[Steve Day · Rating 4 out of 5]

George was my proffessor at sierra college. Intresting guy. believe me, when he says deep he is thinking in depth.
he talks a lot about the intrinsic value of things. I elaborate later.