Deep Ecology is the radical idea that all life has the right to exist, that no one species is more important than another.
According to
Judi Bari,
“Nature does not exist to serve humans. Rather, humans are a part of
nature, one species among many. All species have the right to exist for
their own sake, regardless of their usefulness to humans”.
Biodiversity is essential for the continued existence of the living
Earth. As part of this biodiversity, humans must learn to live within
nature, according to nature’s laws, and learn to accept our role as one
among many.
We embrace Deep Ecology because it gets back to our roots. Not our
roots as humans living in a modern society, but as members of something
much larger, with the knowledge that our every action affects those
around us. We embrace Deep Ecology as a return to nature-based living,
rather than the greed-based societies we have come to know.
A BRIEF HISTORY OF DEEP ECOLOGY
In 1972, at the Third World Futures conference in Bucharest,
Norwegian philosopher Arne Naess presented a paper which first
distinguished between shallow and deep ecology. The next year, Naess
published, “The Shallow and the Deep, Long-Range Ecology Movements,” in
which he presented his philosophy to the world.
He basically stated that there are two ecology movements which are
competing for our attention. The first is concerned mostly with
pollution, resource depletion and the usefulness of the Earth to humans
(anthropocentrism). The second is concerned with the diversity,
richness, and intrinsic value of all the Earth. This is the Deep Ecology
movement.
Naess and others spent years explaining and building the Deep Ecology
movement around the world. In 1984, while camping in Death Valley,
Naess and George Sessions conceived the eight guiding principles of Deep
Ecology. These principles are not meant to be dogmatic, but rather a
starting point for discussion and action on deep ecological matters.
Anyone who broadly agrees with the principles will see the implications
of them in their daily lives, and live accordingly.
For a more complete discussion of the origins of Deep Ecology, read
“Ecophilosophy, Ecosophy and The Deep Ecology Movement”.
OUR EIGHT PRINCIPLES OF DEEP ECOLOGY
Based on those written by Arne Naess and George Sessions
1. The well-being and flourishing of human and non-human life on
Earth have value in themselves. These values are independent of the
usefulness of the non-human world for human purposes.
2. Richness and diversity of life forms contribute to the realization of these values and are also values in themselves.
3. Humans have no right to reduce this richness and diversity except to satisfy vital needs.
4. The flourishing of human life and cultures is compatible with a
substantial decrease of the human population. The flourishing of
non-human life requires such a decrease.
5. Present human interference with the non-human world is excessive, and the situation is rapidly worsening.
6. The dominant socio-political living situation must therefore end.
This will 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 quality
(dwelling in situations of inherent worth) 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
directly or indirectly to participate in the attempt to implement the
necessary changes.
No comments:
Post a Comment