INTELLIGENTIA: Deep Ecology - an arrogant presuppositional global philosophy!

A Lesson in Deep Ecology | FIRST THINGS

Never ceases to amaze me ... that is, how intelligent, well-educated people can divorce themselves of common sense in order worship at the alter of an presuppostional-wisdom!

The following are excerpts from a Firsts Things piece (linked above) on Arne Naess' "Deep Ecology" ...

Apologists for the view will point to the theoretical nature of the philosophy, but remember, in the early decades of 1900s Europe, German National Socialism was also theoretical in nature.

... deep ecology aims at nothing less than a fundamental change in religion, morality, and social institutions.

Inclusive in this broad brush stroke is the Judeo-Christian worldview.

If this were not an intrinsic part of contemporary "green" thought around the world, I would not waste my time. It is, however, a seedbed of anti-Christian and anti-Semitic thinking and action.

Bold "Arabic" numerals at the beginning of the following quotes are CW's, and tie to the eight "core doctrines" of Naess' chilling theories ... only four are discussed by the article's author.

First, deep ecologists reject anthropocentrism, according to which human beings have irreducible value because they are made in the image of God; instead they embrace ecocentrism, according to which "an endangered plant species . . . has a direct claim to moral attention" and "the culling of an overabundant mammalian species in the same ecosystem may not only be morally justifiable, but obligatory to the extent that it would serve the integrity of the biotic community."

When you say mammalian species, think "human beings"!

2. "The 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."

God commanded man to "go, and multiply" and "fill the earth" and rule" over it all. Philosophies such as this inherently plant seeds of distrust in the minds of non-believers and the ignorant. God gave man dominion over the earth, flora and fauna alike.

And here is the presupposition that leads to an assumption: not understanding the inherent theological needs of man, the self-consumed scientist presumes all religious thinking is inherently irrational and therefore assumes any thought of his/her own is inherently rational.

(2. cont.) Naess taught that the present environmental crisis is chiefly one of population and economics, and that the way to reduce our numbers is by a profound change in "economics, technology and science, politics, education, philosophy, and religion."

Blinded by arrogance and pseudo-intelligence, the deep ecologist throws out that of which is inconvenient to his ignorant preconceptions.

Third, deep ecologists are a throwback to the 1930s. Michael Zimmerman argues persuasively that deep ecology resembles German National Socialism, which was also a "neo-pagan revival and a radical ‘green’ movement."

The Nazis too castigated Christianity as "nature-hating, life-despising, and otherworldly," embraced a "religion of nature," and rejected "progressive political ideologies" for carrying on, in secular form, the Christian view of a purpose in history.

It only gets better.

Fourth and most alarmingly, deep ecologists promote Arne Naess’ so-called "Self-realization" as a replacement for morality. ... Once we identify with the nonhuman world as our larger Self, Naess teaches, there is no need for morality, for we now "defend the planet in Self-defense, we preserve natural processes and entities as an expression of our shared interests with the rest of creation."

Christians be wary of the philosophies of the world and their practitioners ...

"The words of wise men are like goads, and masters of these collections are like well-driven nails; they are given by one Shepherd. But beyond this, my son, be warned: the writing of many books is endless, and excessive devotion to books is wearying to the body."

Ecclesiastes 12:11-12

Naess goes in the way of Herod, "eaten by worms" and will die ... he too will be struck for not giving glory to the Creator of the very "creation" he so desperately wants to save. Fortunately, salvation, of all kinds, "comes from the Jews" and not deep ecology.

Christianity, Cristophobia, Deep Ecology,
Religion, Worldviews