OpenAirPhilosophy is a project presenting a selection of the work in

environmental philosophy Environmental philosophy is a branch of philosophy that is concerned with the natural environment and humans' place within it. It asks crucial questions about human environmental relations such as "What do we mean when we talk about nature?" "What ...

of Norwegian philosophers Arne Naess,

Sigmund Kvaløy Setreng Sigmund Kvaløy Setreng (20 September 1934 – 27 May 2014) was a Norwegian philosopher, illustrator, mountain climber, environmental activist and politician. He was born in Trondheim. Among his publications are ''Musikk-kritikk og kommunikas ...

, and

Peter Wessel Zapffe Peter Wessel Zapffe (18 December 1899 – 12 October 1990) was a Norwegian philosopher, author, artist, lawyer and mountaineer. He is often noted for his philosophically pessimistic and fatalistic view of human existence. His system of ph ...

. The project promotes the inherent worth of living beings regardless of their instrumental utility to human needs, as well as looking at restructuring modern human societies in accordance with such ideas. The project's website holds biographies, selected works and interviews of the three philosophers. The name of the project comes from a practice in Norway called ''friluftsliv'', which translates as “open-air life.” The term evokes a sense of belonging to the land, making friends with free nature. Arne Naess, the father of “

Deep ecology Deep ecology is an environmental philosophy that promotes the inherent worth of all living beings regardless of their instrumental utility to human needs, and the restructuring of modern human societies in accordance with such ideas. Deep ecolo ...

", was always searching for the existence of what he called “greatness other than human.” Far from moralizing about how other people ought to live, he would invite them to “act beautifully," and to experience how natural it feels to act in ecologically responsible ways. When Naess was asked about his expectations for the future, he would sometimes answer, to the surprise of his interviewers, "I am a pessimist for the 21st century, but an optimist for the 22nd century." This response exemplifies the kind of against-the-grain thinking of the three Norwegian ecophilosophers whose work that is presented a
OpenAirPhilosophy
Peter Wessel Zapffe, Sigmund Kvaløy Setreng, and Arne Naess. All demonstrated a surprising ability both to identify and to face directly the vastness of the ecological crisis as it was starting to unfold in their times. Their analysis, however, did not stop at making a dire diagnosis; they also chose to develop and embrace a deeper and more long-term view in which we humans are not automatically assigned centre stage in the pageant of life. Despite writing forthrightly about the grave challenges facing the Earth, each retained a parallel sense of living life to the full, of enjoying the conviviality of being among friends and the fulfilment that comes from working for change - all fueled by experiences in nature. The aim of the project is to engage readers, provoke additional scholarship, and expand the community of activists around the globe who embrace

ecocentrism Ecocentrism (; from Greek: οἶκος ''oikos'', "house" and κέντρον ''kentron'', "center") is a term used by environmental philosophers and ecologists to denote a nature-centered, as opposed to human-centered (i.e. anthropocentric), syste ...

- a worldview in which all life is acknowledged to have intrinsic value. Content editors for this project are Jan van Boeckel and Ceciel Verheij. Ceciel Verheij translated several Norwegian texts which are published for the first time in English on this website. Andrés Stubelt and Cara Nelson/Swift Trek Media provided web design and development. PDF design and typesetting are by Kevin Cross. Tom Butler of Tompkins Conservation served as overall project director.Open Air Philosophy official website, ''About Us''
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References

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External links

Rewilding website
link to podcast episode with Jan Van Boeckel Environmental philosophy