Arne Næss

Arne Næss was a Norwegian philosopher, born on 27 January 1912, who coined the term deep ecology and became an influential figure in the late twentieth century environmental movement. He was also a noted mountaineer. In 1950 he led the expedition that made the first ascent of Tirich Mir, a peak of 7,708 metres in Pakistan, an effort depicted in the documentary film Tirich Mir til topps. His mountain hut Tvergastein, in the Hallingskarvet massif, gave its letter to the name of his personal philosophy, Ecosophy T. He combined his ecological thinking with Gandhian nonviolence.