Deep Ecology, Part 10: Metaphysics Of The Treeline with Arne Naess

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Deep Ecology for the 21st Century, Part 10: Metaphysics Of The Treeline with Arne Naess

Well into his eighties, Arne Naess, known as "the father of Deep Ecology," still carried his own firewood and water to a simple stone cabin that he built himself above the treeline near the Arctic Circle in Norway. This, he insisted, is a fabulously rich way of life. "Our notion of richness must not be equivalent to the number of material things and dollars we possess," he says. "It's quality. Which needs are not satisfied? None. And isn't that richness, to satisfy one's needs? Yes." He describes the joys of this lifestyle, his moving memories of WWII and mountain climbing expeditions, how he was influenced by Gandhi, the challenges of aging, lessons from trees, and more. This is a rare visit with an extraordinary elder. (hosted by Michael Toms)

Bio

Naess was a professor of philosophy at the University of Oslo, leader of environmental civil disobedience, and a prominent mountain climber who once scaled his office building as a practical joke.

He wrote extensively, and is the author of:

• Ecology, Community and Lifestyle: Outline of an Ecosophy (Cambridge University Press 1993)

Topics Explored in This Dialogue

• Personal relationships with fish, crabs and a mountain
• A radical definition of what it means to be rich
• The joy of mosquitoes
• How mountains expand the mind and soul
• How to meet angry resistance to ecological activism
• Naess' powerful recollections of World War II
• Facing infirmity and death in old age
• The challenge of dying well
• The valuable concept of "dwelling"
• The "metaphysics of the treeline"
• Preserving "free nature" in large cities

Host: Michael Toms       Interview Date: 10/1/1998       Program Number: 2725

Music Included

From Album: Solstice
Artist: Erik Wøllo
1994 Eurock Records #ECD 2010
Track - Solstice I

From Album: Wisdom Tree
Artist: William Eaton
1992 Canyon Records #CR-7009
Track - Beginnings

From Album: Music Mantras 1 & 2
Artist: Johannes Walter
Higher Octave #HOMCD 7090
Track - Relaxation