The basic thesis of the work is that environmental problems are only to be solved by people - people who will be required to make value judgements in conflicts that go beyond narrowly conceived human concerns. Thus people require not only an ethical system, but a way of conceiving the world and themselves such that the intrinsic value of life and nature is obvious, a system based on 'deep ecological principles'. The book encourages readers to identify their own series of such parameters - their own ecosophies. Ecology, Comunity and Lifestyle will appeal to philosophers, specialists working on environmental issues, and the more general reader who is interested in learning some of the foundational ideas of the rapidly expanding field of environmental philosophy.

‘This long awaited work is an updated and thoroughly revised translation of Okologi, Samfunn og Livsstil in Norwegian. Naess is the acknowledged founder of ‘deep ecology’ and a respected authority in semantics, the philosophy of science and the thinking of Spinoza and Ghandi. This book is both a philosophical primer and a handbook on strategy and tactics for thoughtful environmentalists.’

Source: Trends in Ecology and Evolution

‘I would add Naess’ book to that very short list of works in environmental philosophy that speak to us from the depths of a life well and thoughtfully lived, a life which has engendered wisdom and with it care, responsiveness, and a sense of responsibility to the earth.’

Jim Cheney

‘… this book is understandable even for the uninitiated, and practical for anyone wanting to reduce their adverse impacts on the Earth.’

John Davis Source: Earth First! Journal