Paper Presentation

Subject : Eco-Justice Theologies

Topic : Deep Ecology
Lecturer : Mrs. Tonchingsangla
Presenters : Duanchuingam, Vino K Chishi, Wangshi, Kalito, Selica,s & Tengbarth

Introduction
Deep ecology is emerging as a way of developing a new balance and harmony between
individual, communities, and all of nature. According to Norwegian philosopher Arne Naess,
“every living being, whether humans, animals, or vegetables has an equal right to live and to
blossom.” So deep ecology argues that the natural world is a subtle balance of complex inter-
relationships in which the existence of others within ecosystems. To understand more on this
topic, this paper will deal the origin, movement and the core principles that all living
environment as a whole should be respected and regarded as having certain basic legal rights to
live and to flourish. And also how Christians should responsible towards environment.

Meaning of Ecology
The term ‘ecology’ or ‘Oekologie’ was coined in 1866 by the German biologist Ernst Haeckel to
describe the study of the relationship between living organisms and the environment. It is
derived from the Greek words Oikos, meaning “house”, and logos, meaning knowledge, ecology
is now employed to describe all aspects of our dwelling in the Earth Household. 1 According to P
H Collin, “Dictionary of Ecology and the Environment” Deep ecology is an extreme form of
ecological thinking whereby human are consider as only one species among many in the
environment and were the large numbers of humans are seen as harmful to the environment in
which they live.2

Origin of Deep Ecology

The term Deep Ecology was coined by Norwegian philosopher Arne Naess in 1973. The concept
of deep ecology uses the term ‘ecosophy’ which derives from the Greek ‘Sophia’, “Wisdom”,
and “eco” house. The exponents of deep ecology are said to be “deep” because they look to the
fundamental principals which are at the root of our environmental crisis.3

Deep ecology movement arose from scientists – ecologists – who were out in the field studying
the biodiversity and wild ecosystems throughout the world. They were also doing the work of
philosophers, laying the foundations for the Age of Ecology and a new ecological worldview to
replace the anthropocentric, mastery of nature, and modernist worldview arising in the 17th and
18th centuries. Three of the most influential ecological spokespersons of the 1960s were Rachel
Carson, David Brower, and Paul R. Ehrlich. Some consider the publication of Rachel Carson’s

1
R.L. Sarkar, The Bible, Ecology and Environment (Delhi: Cambridge Press, 2000), 59.
2
P H Collin, Dictionary of Ecology and the environment (New Delhi: Unversity Book Store, 1992), 48.
3
R.L. Sarkar, The Bible, Ecology and Environment (Delhi: Cambridge Press, 2000), 64.

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book Silent Spring4 (1962) as the beginning of the contemporary, long-range deep ecology
movement. When her book appeared there was a long-standing movement for conservation of
land and resources, as well as support for creating parks and other areas devoted to preserving
wilderness and spectacular nature. Carson’s writings were especially influential because they
clearly showed how human well-being depends on the condition of whole biotic communities.
She explained in practical terms how living beings are interrelated within ecosystems. She also
explained how pesticides used to control mosquitoes and other insects led to declines in some
bird populations.5

Central Idea of Deep Ecology

The central idea of deep ecology is that we are part of the earth, and how we are to live truly in
authentic, harmonious relationship with all beings so as to realize a maximum of intrinsic
goodness. Deep ecology seeks to challenge our cultures’ fundamental human assumptions,
especially those which have led us to accept materialism, militarism, and human domination over
nature as normal human behaviors and also seeks to understand and challenge the root causes of
our planetary despoliation. According to the deep ecologists, each citizen is responsible for the
planet earth.
The eight basic principles of deep ecology are specified below:
1. The well-being and flourishing of human life on Earth have value in themselves. These
values are independent of the usefulness of the non-human world for human purpose.
2. Richness and diversity of life forms contribute to the realization of these values and are
also values in themselves.
3. Humans have no right to reduce this richness and diversity except to satisfy vital needs.
4. Human flourishing of human life and cultures is compatible with a substantial decrease of
the human population. The flourishing of non-human life requires such a decrease.
5. Present human interference with the non-human world is excessive and the situation is
rapidly worsening.
6. Policies must therefore be changed. These policies affect basic economic, technological
and ideological structures. The resulting state of affairs will be deeply different from the
present.6
7. The ideological change is mainly that of appreciating like quality (dwelling in situation of
intrinsic value) rather than adhering to a high standard of living. There will be a profound
awareness of the difference between big and great.

4
Silent Spring helped show how complex food webs and networks of biotic relationships function. Since
humans are at the top of many foods chains, exposure to chemicals becomes more concentrated as these moves
up the chains. The chemicals also can be stored in human tissues and gradually accumulate over time, adversely
affected health. She showed the need for deep changes in human practices and ways of living.
5
Frans Huygelen, “Deep Ecology” accessed 1 march 2016, https://en.m.wikipedia.org/org/wiki/Deep-
ecology (07/07.2019).
6
R.L.Sarkar, The Bible, Ecology and Environment (Delhi: Cambridge Press, 2000), 64-65.

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 8. Those who subscribe to the foregoing points have an obligation directly or indirectly to
participate in the attempt to implement the necessary changes.7
Movement of Deep Ecology:
The movement of deep ecology is a liberating movement and it allows each human being to
flourish and blossom in full self-realization. One’s ego self may be small and insecure, but one’s
full ecological self can embrace that whole of nature with a liberating love that enables a
diversity of forms of dwelling in states of mutual, intrinsic value. When we are all involved in
self-realizing in this sense, bioregionalism, decentralization, self-regulation, community and
ecotopic vision will become manifest. Being able to live in such a communion is ecological
wisdom or ecosophy.
Deep ecology is usually misunderstood as something quite unrealistic, fixed and unconstructive.
Rather the deep ecological movement should be seen as efforts directed towards identity with
nature, and we are not to be subordinated, but integrated into natural processes. Deep ecology is
to be seen as a root for practical work, not as a code of ethics.

Warwick Fox is of the opinion that deep ecology is very different from environmental exiology-
looking for values in nature. Instead, one should seek to change one’s whole way of sensing
oneself and the world in the direction of identification and self- realization.
According to Devall and Sessions, deep ecology is neither an environment exiology, nor a theory
of environmental ethics. It directs us to develop our own sense of self until it becomes self, i.e.
until we realize through deepening ecological sensibilities that each of us forms a union with the
natural world, and that the protection of the natural world is a protection of ourselves. 8

Christian Response
Erazim Koh, K, a professor of Philosophy at Boston University and Charles University in
Prague, he wrote in his article “The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof.” So, at least we
say, though in fact we have, for the most part, acted as if we owned it, not always: when we set
about bombing a particular segment of it into parking lot, we act as if we didn’t care who owned
it. The earth is the lord’s? And Christ will come again? Wonder what he will say when He sees
the mess we have made. God creates humans and all the creation is good. All that God creates is
necessarily good but it is not self-sufficient. Humans need the constant sustenance of God’s
grace. Once they cut themselves off from God, they grow dry and brittle as a plant without
water; they become tense, afraid, and angry – and strike out at themselves and others. Human
grow weak and do harm because they have become alienated, cut off from the ground of their
being.9

7
David Rothenberg, ed., Ecology, community and lifestyle (Cambridge university press: 1989), 29.
8
S.K. Chahal, Environment and the Moral Life: Towards a New Paradigm (New Delhi: Ashish Publishing
House, 1994), 20-21.
9
Erazim Koh – K, “Is Deep Ecology enough?: A Christian Response” ObO(c,_)an a pr-roda, Lidov_noviny
and philosophische kologie nach 20 jahren, in press 1994,
http://trumpeter.athabascau.ca/index.php/trumpet/article/view/324/496.(07/07/2019).

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God created mankind in His/her image, and gave a privileged place among all creatures and
commanded them to exercise stewardship over the earth (Gen 1: 26-28; psalm 8:6-8).
Stewardship implies caretaking, not abusing. We are to intelligent manage the resources God has
given us, using all diligent care to preserve and protect them. This is seen in the Old Testament
where God commanded that the fields and vineyards would be sown and harvested for six years,
then left fallow for seventh year in order to replenish the soil’s nutrients, both the rest the land
and to ensure continued provision for His people in the future (Exo 23:10-11; Lev 25:1-7).10

Conclusion
One should seek to change one’s whole way of sensing oneself and the world in the direction of
identification and self-realization. Deep ecology is not the one that is fundamentally to do with
the value of non-human world, but rather we the human are the one to take responsibilities
toward them. In this paper we understand why it describes “deep ecology” because it regards
itself as looking more deeply into the actual reality of humanity’s relationship with the natural
world arriving at philosophically more profound conclusions than that of the prevailing view of
ecology as a branch of biology. So we want to conclude that we humans ought to respect all the
living creatures and to be good stewards of it for as long as we live and lasts.

Bibliography
Chahal, S.K. Environment and the Moral Life: Towards a New Paradigm . New Delhi: Ashish
Publishing House, 1994.

Collin, P H. Dictionary of Ecology and the environment. New Delhi: University Book Store, 1992.

Rothenberg, David, ed., Ecology, community and lifestyle (Cambridge university press: 1989),
29.

Sarkar, R.L. The Bible, Ecology and Environment. Delhi: Cambridge Press, 2000.

Other sources
Got question, “How should a Christian view environmentalism?” accessed febraury 14, 2019,
https;//www.gotquestion.org/environmentalism-Christian.html (06/07/2019).

Huygelen, Frans “Deep Ecology” accessed 1 march 2016,

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/org/wiki/Deep-ecology (06/07.2019).

Koh _ K, Erazim “Is Deep Ecology enough?: A Christian Response” ObO(c,_)an a pr-roda,
Lidov_noviny and philosophische kologie nach 20 jahren, in press 1994,
http://trumpeter.athabascau.ca/index.php/trumpet/article/view/324/496.(06/07/2019).

10
Got question, “How should a Christian view environmentalism?” accessed febraury 14, 2019,
https;//www.gotquestion.org/environmentalism-Christian.html (07/07/2019).