A Study of Gandhi’s Influence on Arne Naess and his Eco-Philosophy (Deep Ecology).

Though many scholars acknowledge that the life and philosophy of Gandhi influenced Arne Naess and his eco-philosophy (deep ecology), the influence of Gandhi on Naess and his eco-philosophy (deep ecology) has largely been neglected in the available literature. The present paper argues that Gandhi’s impact was profoundly important and influenced some key concepts, such as the Self and self-realization of deep ecology. It is explained that most of the scholars have ignored Gandhi in the process of understanding different influences on Naess and his eco-philosophy (deep ecology) because they find Hindu, especially Advaita Vedanta philosophy, incompatible with some of the basic concepts of Naess’s eco-philosophy (deep ecology). However, it is argued that it is not proper and correct to see Gandhi as either Hindu or Vedantic to understand the influence of Gandhi on some key concepts of deep ecology. It is further explained that the influence of Gandhi on Naess is more appropriately explained and understood when Gandhi’s ideas of Self and Self-realization are seen in this light of Mahayana Buddhist philosophy [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]