Arne Naess, “Deep Ecology,” and Bill Devall, “The Deep Ecology Movement”

1. What does Naess mean by “deep” (as opposed to “shallow”) ecology? In his view, why is the latter not sufficient?

2. What are the principles Naess associates with a form of “deep ecological” thought? What is meant by the “relational, total field image”? “Biospherical egualitarianism”? A respect for the “principles of diversity and symbiosis”? What does he mean by an “anticlass posture”? Why does he value the search for complexity, not complication?

3. Do some of his ideas imply each other? Do any of his ideas seem familiar from other contexts? (e. g., appeal to classlessness, local control)

4. Are there any ideas now associated with ecological movements which you believe he leaves out?

5. Do any of Naess’s ideas seem unclear to you? Which, if any, could be further developed? (e. g. appeal to global approach, p. 124)

6. What does Naess mean by the terms ecophilosophy and ecosophy?

7. In “The Deep Ecology Movement,” does Bill Devall agree with Naess on every point, or are there differences? What new explanations and concerns does Devall add to the discussion?

8. Do you find these essays valuable, and if so, in what ways? Which of their ideas do you think might have been/might still be controversial?

9. On the basis of “Tintern Abbey” and the other Wordsworth poems you have read, do you think any of the concepts enunciated by Naess and Devall apply to Wordsworth? Was Wordsworth in some sense a “deep ecologist”?