Arne Næss

Næss was a Norwegian philosopher, recognized as the originator of the concept of Deep Ecology. He integrated his ecological philosophy with principles of Gandhian nonviolence, actively participating in direct action events. His early philosophical work explored interpretation and precision, which he later distilled into a practical textbook on communication and argumentation. From the 1960s onwards, his focus increasingly shifted to what became known as deep ecology, a term he first introduced to the public in 1972.