💠Deep Ecology
To talk about what deep ecology is, we can start by recalling what ecology is in a nutshell.
It is a science, a knowledge (logos), which concerns our habitat (oikos). Because of the dualistic, reductionist and mechanistic approach of contemporary science, ecology only deals with the observable and quantitative aspects of an external environment, without taking into account its intrinsic values.
Deep ecology, on the other hand, takes into account quantitative aspects but will also conduct qualitative and intersubjective research. This means that in research it is essential to involve the observer as a participant and explore his or her subjectivity.
For example, when studying the ecology of a river, one asks relational and ethical questions such as:
What is the relationship between us?
Am I studying the river to help the river regenerate its water or to dam it and build a power station?
Is this relationship right, are my actions consistent with my ethics?
But we also observe the qualitative dimension of our own being, the mind, the body:
Do I feel more joyful, more relaxed when I study this subject or during my explorations in the field?
Does the fact of discovering and knowing a concrete ecosystem have an impact on me?
Can establishing a relationship with the river allow certain values to emerge?
Can these values lead to concrete actions and changes in my attitude?
We can say that deep ecology is a holistic (multi-dimensional) and therefore more complete way of studying living things, and which questions our role within them.
Sylvain Tesson has this beautiful phrase: "We could go to great lengths to explore the world and still miss the life itself". Unfortunately, today's ecology is missing life.
Ecology, a path of wisdom
The creator of deep ecology is the Norwegian philosopher Arne Naess (1912-2009). Since childhood, during his excursions into the wilderness, he felt the mountain as a living being, from which emanated qualities such as benevolence, magnificence and generosity. His feelings were so great that he vowed to live in his mountain as soon as he was old enough, and for as long as he could.
During his long periods of living near his beloved mountain, he gradually asked himself how the amazing and sometimes compelling living qualities of the rock, wind and ice that encircled his hermitage above the tree line could help him discover a way of living that was good.
Deep ecology was the answer to this question. It aims to help people explore the ethical implications of their sense of deep connection with nature, and to ground these ethical insights in practical action. The emphasis on action is what distinguishes deep ecology from other ecosophies. Perhaps the most fundamental idea of this movement is that all life has intrinsic value, regardless of its value to humans.
For Stephan Harding[1] Professor of Deep Ecology at Schumacher College (UK) and friend of Arne Naess, deep ecology has three radically interconnected meanings to the adjective 'deep'. By working on these three aspects within oneself, one can begin to develop what Naess calls one's personal ecosophy or ecological wisdom - a way of being in the world that minimises damage to nature while enhancing one's own sense of awe, wonder and belonging.
First, there is the deep experience, that is, the sense of prodigious awakening in Gaia (the Earth). Deep experience need not be dramatic, nor need it be experienced only in the wilderness, for there are many kinds of deep experience. Some people experience it while tending to small planters in the city, others experience a continuous sense of connection.
My own practice has shown me that for most of us, deep experience lies just below the surface of everyday consciousness, and a slight change of context can easily make it visible. Deep experience is easy to evoke, but its ethical implications are more difficult to assimilate.
2. Assimilation occurs when one engages in a deep questioning of oneself and of society. In questioning oneself, one asks whether one is living in a way that is consistent with the overall sense of one's deep experience, using the rational mind to unravel the web of connections between assumptions and actions at all levels of one's life, in order to establish an ethical viewpoint that, although provisional and always under review, can help guide one's life choices.
Questioning society seeks to understand its underlying assumptions from an ecological perspective, examining the collective psychological origins of both the ecological crisis and the related crises of peace and social justice. This deep questioning of the fundamental assumptions of our culture contrasts sharply with greenwashing and the dominant superficial or reformist approach. The latter attempts to ensure business as usual by advocating the so-called greening of business and industry, through a range of measures such as pollution prevention and the protection of biodiversity (because of its monetary value, medical value or ability to regulate the climate).
3. Finally, we explore our deep commitment to working for change through peaceful and democratic means, which in turn deepens our experiences and creates a virtuous cycle.
In his book "La panthère des neiges" Sylvain Tesson[2] tells us about his profound experience during his excursion and immersion in the Tibetan plateau with the photographer Munier.
His experience gave him a deep ecological awareness and he became aware of the interdependence of the world and of his belonging to the community of living beings.
"I've been around a lot, I've been looked at and I didn't know anything about it": this was my new psalm and I mumbled it in Tibetan style, humming. It summed up my life.
Now I would know that we were walking among open eyes in invisible faces. I was acquitting myself of my former indifference by this double exercise of attention and patience - let's call it love.
I had just understood it: the garden of man is populated by presences."
In the midst of mass extinction, don't we need to feel and rethink our role in conversation with Gaia's ecosystem? To act accordingly?
Are you ready to take your direct experience seriously? When you take one step towards life, life takes two towards you...
Guillem Caballero
[1] S. Harding, Animate Earth, Green Books, pp. 56-57
[2] S. Tesson La panthère des neiges, édition Gallimard p. 48