The Selected Works of Arne Naess

From FDE’s perspective, Arne Naess’s philosophical discourses—especially his eco-philosophical writings—are among the most important works on environmental and social ethics of the last fifty years. Untold numbers of writers, thinkers, philosophers and activists have been influenced by his ideas, although they are often unaware of the source of the influences. We believe that elevating Naess’s profile, especially in academic circles, will lead people to more widely embrace his ideas, premises, and concepts. Naess’s Deep Ecology Platform has yet to be matched by any such alternative that finds common ground among diverse ethnic, religious, national, and local groups interested in true eco-sustainability.

Born in Oslo in 1912, philosopher, mountaineer, and environmental activist Arne Naess is perhaps best known for his characterizations of the “deep, long range” and the “shallow” ecology movements. Naess compares the shallow movement with Band-Aid patches or reforms that ultimately fail to address the philosophical, social, and political roots of the ecological crisis. Conversely, the deep ecology movement stresses the importance of addressing the fundamental causes of the crisis.

Under the editorial direction of Harold Glasser, professor of Environmental Studies at Western Michigan University, Naess’s works have been updated and revised, volume by volume, to meet contemporary standards for philosophical publishing. The wide-ranging volumes span a huge landscape of philosophical discourse and social thought, including the philosophy of science, empirical semantics, skepticism, Gandhi and Spinoza, peace studies, democracy, and environmentalism.

Contents:
Volume I: Interpretation and Preciseness • Volume II: Scepticism • Volume III: Which World Is the Real One? • Volume IV: The Pluralist and Possibilist Aspect of the Scientific Enterprise • Volume V: Gandhi and Group Conflict • Volume VI: Freedom, Emotion, and Self-Subsistence • Volume VII: Communication and Argument • Volume VIII: Common Sense, Knowledge, and Truth • Volume IX: Reason, Democracy, and Science • Volume X: Deep Ecology of Wisdom

Go back