The Ecology of Wisdom Writings by Arne Naess

by Naess, Arne; Drengson, Alan; Devall, Bill

• ISBN13: 9781582435923
• ISBN10: 1582435928
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2010-06-15
• Publisher: Counterpoint

Summary

Modern environmentalism owes a great debt to philosopher, professor and writer Arne Naess, co-founder of the Deep Ecology movement. Here, editors Alan Drengson and Bill Devall provide a comprehensive but accessible volume of his most groundbreaking and seminal essays, which have remained influential among environmentalists to this very day. An essential anthology from one of modern environmentalism's most important and relevant voices.

Author Biography

Arne Naess was a widely celebrated Norwegian philosopher. He died in Oslo, Norway, in January 2009. Alan Drengson is emeritus professor of philosophy and adjunct professor of environmental studies at the University of Victoria in Canada. Bill Devall was emeritus professor of sociology at Humboldt State University, Arcata, California. He died in 2009.

Table of Contents

Preface	p. vii
Acknowledgments	p. xi
Introduction: The Life and Work of Arne Naess: An Appreciative Overview	p. 3
Places in the Real World
An Example of a Place: Tvergastein	p. 45
Modesty and the Conquest of Mountains	p. 65
Avalanches as Social Constructions	p. 68
The World of Concrete Contents	p. 70
Self-Realization: An Ecological Approach to Being in the World	p. 81
The Long-Range Deep Ecology Movement
The Three Great Movements	p. 99
The Basics of the Deep Ecology Movement	p. 105
Cultural Diversity and the Deep Ecology Movement	p. 120
The Place of Joy in a World of Fact	p. 123
Beautiful Action: Its Function in the Ecological Crisis	p. 133
Lifestyle Trends Within the Deep Ecology Movement	p. 140
Methodology and Systems
Reflections on Total Views	p. 145
The Limited Neutrality of Typologies of Systems	p. 160
The Methodology of Normative Systems	p. 167
Pluralism in Cultural Anthropology	p. 181
The Principle of Intensity	p. 187
Creativity and Gestalt Thinking	p. 192
Gestalt Thinking and Buddhism	p. 195
Nonviolence and Gandhi, Spinoza and wholeness
Nonmilitary Defense	p. 207
Gandhian Nonviolent Verbal Communication: The Necessity of Training	p. 219
Spinoza and the Deep Ecology Movement	p. 230
Through Spinoza to Mahayana Buddhism, or Through Mahayana Buddhism to Spinoza?	p. 252
Freedom, Self, and Activeness, According to Spinoza	p. 274
Problems and Ways Forward
Industrial Society, Postmodernity, and Ecological Sustainability	p. 279
Sustainability! The Integral Approach	p. 293
Population Reduction: An Ecosophical View	p. 302
Deep Ecology for the Twenty-Second Century	p. 308
Notes	p. 315
Bibliography	p. 326
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