About

Dr. Jan van Boeckel is a Dutch anthropologist, visual artist, art teacher and filmmaker. One of Jan’s areas of interest and concern are the worldviews and environmental philosophies of indigenous peoples. Together with filmmaking group ReRun Productions, he produced a series of documentaries on this subject, as well as films on philosophers such as Jacques Ellul and Arne Naess, who provide a critical analysis of the Western way of life. Principal among these films is “The Call of the Mountain,” (watch below) focused on Naess’ work on the topic of Deep Ecology.

In 2013 Jan defended his doctoral thesis At the Heart of Art and Earth: An Exploration of Practices in Arts-Based Environmental Education at Aalto University.  From 2015 until 2018, Jan was Professor in Art Pedagogy and Didactics of Art at the Estonian Academy of Arts in Tallinn.

Topics

* Exploring the relationship between ecology and philosophy

* A new site dedicated to three pioneering nature-focused philosophers

* Deep ecology

* Ecocentrism

* Ecosophy

* The role of art in environmental education

Extra Credit

* Open Air Philosophy – Open Air Philosophy aims to help deepen understanding of the ecological crisis—its drivers and possible solutions—by sharing the work of three pioneering nature-focused philosophers.

* Wild Painting – Wildpainting aims to open up your senses and let the landscape express itself through you. ​Jan van Boeckel offers courses in inspiring natural environments all over Europe.

* Nature Art Education –  Repository of materials of the research group on arts-based environmental education at Aalto University, School of Arts, Design and Architecture

* Facebook page: Arts Based Ecological Education

* Facebook Community: Arts-based environmental education community

Watch “Call of the Mountain”

The Deep Ecology Platform

1. The well-being and flourishing of human and nonhuman life on Earth have value in themselves (synonyms: inherent worth, intrinsic value, inherent value). These values are independent of the usefulness of the nonhuman world for human purposes.

2. Richness and diversity of life forms contribute to the realization of these values and are also values in themselves.

3. Humans have no right to reduce this richness and diversity except to satisfy vital needs.

4. Present human interference with the nonhuman world is excessive, and the situation is rapidly worsening.

5. The flourishing of human life and cultures is compatible with a substantial decrease of the human population. The flourishing of nonhuman life requires such a decrease.

6. Policies must therefore be changed. The changes in policies affect basic economic, technological, and ideological structures. The resulting state of affairs will be deeply different from the present.

7. The ideological change is mainly that of appreciating life quality (dwelling in situations of inherent worth) rather than adhering to an increasingly higher standard of living. There will be a profound awareness of the difference between big and great.

8. Those who subscribe to the foregoing points have an obligation directly or indirectly to participate in the attempt to implement the necessary changes.

—Arne Naess and George Sessions (1984)