Blog 9

After reading Arne Naess' "The Shallow and the Deep, Long-Range Ecology Movement," write a twenty-five-word (give or take) response to each of the seven Deep Ecology Movement principles. Do you agree or disagree with each of these principles.

 

Diversity- enhances the potentiality of survival and life’s richness. I agree diversity is important and increase survival rates. From strictly a human standpoint, diversity and equality within diversity should be encouraged to decrease dominance of one type of person against another.

Complexity- provides fail-safes for the environment such as redundant species that can substitute for a keystone species. Ecosystems are often so complex that humans cannot understand them fully and should therefore not mess with them (unless to clean up something). I agree with this.

 Autonomy- I agree with trying to keep the use of resources localized but ecology can often be injured by localization. Invasive species or new diseases can decimate a population not used to them.

Decentralization- This is similar to autonomy. It would reduce the amount of energy used to transport goods.

Symbiosis- There is no such things as true symbiosis in nature. Survival of the fittest is not polite and full of cooperation. It can be cruel and bloody. One organism always gets more from the other. We should strive not to be like this as people but keep in mind nature has no concept of justice.

Egalitarianism- The equal right to live and blossom. Soooo kudzu everywhere? As much as this is a nice, polite thought. It isn’t practical.

Classlessness- I think within current human society classes will always form. Look at high school and prisons. A system forms without classes being in place. Maybe future generations can escape it but we can’t.

After reading the article "Deep Ecology," do you feel that Devall and Sessions are accurate with their outline of the Dominant Worldview and the Deep Ecology view? Do you feel that the Dominant Worldview is representative of the average person? Please elaborate.
I think the average person is likes nature more than they think. If you ask people if nature and the wild is a ‘good’ thing to be protected most would say yes. They will not however place the needs of nature about those of their family. Deep ecology view seems far-reaching and very unlikely but I suppose these are long term goals.