Deep Ecology – Geography – UGC NET – Notes

Deep ecology, environmental philosophy and social movement based in the belief that humans must radically change their relationship to nature from one that values nature solely for its usefulness to human beings to one that recognizes that nature has an inherent value. Sometimes called an “ecosophy,” deep ecology offers a definition of the self that differs from traditional notions and is a social movement that sometimes has religious and mystical undertones. The phrase originated in 1972 with Norwegian philosopher Arne Naess, who, along with American environmentalist George Sessions, developed a platform of eight organizing principles for the deep ecology social movement. Deep ecology distinguishes itself from other types of environmentalism by making broader and more basic philosophical claims about metaphysics, epistemology, and social justice.

A Focus On The Biosphere

Conservationism, protectionism, the science of ecology, and deep ecology are some of the major components in the political and ethical movement of environmentalism. Deep ecologists often contrast their own position with what they refer to as the “shallow ecology” of other environmentalists. They contend that the mainstream ecological movement is concerned with various environmental issues (such as pollution, overpopulation, and conservation) only to the extent that those issues have a negative effect on an area’s ecology and disrupt human interests. They argue that anthropocentrism, a worldview that contains an instrumentalist view of nature and a view of humanity as the conqueror of nature, has led to environmental degradation throughout the world, and thus it should be replaced with ecocentric (ecology-centred) or biocentric (life-centred) worldviews, where the biosphere becomes the main focus of concern.