Arne Næss’ The Shallow and the Deep

In his essay The Shallow and the Deep, Long-Range Ecology Movements: A Summary, published in 1973 in the journal Inquiry, Norwegian philosopher Arne Næss (1912–2009) coined the concept deep ecology. Therein, he argued that only a “deep” transformation of modern society could prevent an ecological collapse. Næss criticized one-sided technological approaches in dealing with environmental problems, an attitude he called shallow ecology. Instead, the design of a sustainable world should be seen not only as a question of environmental technology and economy, but also as an issue of worldviews and attitudes toward life. The ideas of deep ecology soon became adopted by environmental activists and academics. Today, they play an important role in reflections on global environmental ethics.