Blog #9

Explain your view on deep ecology. How can you relate these views to your lifestyle or society? Which principle do you agree most with and which do you agree least with? Why? What concerns do you have about Deep Ecology?

According the readings I agree with Arne Naess and the definition of his term “deep ecology” in the sense that humans should become more receptive to the world around them and ask deeper questions. Those deeper questions should be framed in such a way that we learn why and how, not just what. I also agree with the notion that humans are not isolated or any more important than the rest of nature.

            In Owen’s “The Science of Ecology” he stresses a way of thinking that makes arriving at the most efficient solution to solving the world’s current environmental problems that I feel expands upon Arne Naess’s idea that humans are not separate from nature. This is a familiar sentiment in most green thinking. Why then, should man-made objects such as construction be seen any different? We construct buildings to live in just as animals create their habitat out of the environment. This way of thinking will not promote destruction of the environment, but encourage a mindset that considers all projects in a more direct relationship to its surroundings. I feel that this shows there can be a balance between technology and ecological movements. The two do not have to be exclusive and this fits with my belief and lifestyle very well. However, I did sense from some of the reading that while in theory, this can be a relatively harmless practice, in actuality, those instituting the actions of deep ecology have much more extreme uses in mind.