Bill Devall (1938-2009) was an American sociologist who co-authored Deep Ecology: Living as if Nature Mattered (1985) with George Sessions. The book introduced deep ecology philosophy to North American audiences and examined the philosophical, psychological, and sociological dimensions of the environmental movement.
Born in Kansas City, Devall earned his undergraduate degree at the University of Kansas and graduate degrees from the University of Hawaii and the University of Oregon. His doctoral thesis examined governance in the Sierra Club. He taught briefly at the University of Alberta before joining the Sociology Department at Humboldt State University in 1968, where he remained for his teaching career.
At Humboldt State, Devall taught courses on wilderness, forestry, and radioactive waste issues alongside traditional sociology. He was influenced by Arne Naess’s writings on deep ecology and Gary Snyder’s poetry. His work with Sessions sought to distinguish deep ecology’s ecocentric perspective from what they termed “shallow” or reformist environmentalism.
Devall wrote additional books including Simple in Means, Rich in Ends: Practicing Deep Ecology (1988) and Living Richly in an Age of Limits (1993). He co-edited The Ecology of Wisdom: Writings by Arne Naess (2008) with Alan Drengson.
He was a founding member of the North Coast Environmental Center in Arcata, California and participated in local conservation efforts. In 1990, he took part in Redwood Summer, blocking access to northern California forests. This led to a national campaign funded by the Foundation of Deep Ecology, resulting in the Sierra Club publication Clearcut: The Tragedy of Industrial Forestry (1995), which Devall edited.
Devall practiced Buddhism with the Arcata Zen Group and connected Buddhist principles with environmental thought. He died at his home in Trinidad, California on June 26, 2009.
Key Concepts
- Deep Ecology vs. Shallow Ecology: Distinction between ecocentric philosophy and reformist environmentalism
- Ecological Consciousness: Cultivating awareness of humans as members of the biotic community
- Simple in Means, Rich in Ends: Philosophy of living practice
- Biocentric Equality: Recognition of equal right to flourish for all beings
Essential Works
- “Deep Ecology: Living as if Nature Mattered” (Gibbs Smith, 1985) - ISBN 978-0-87905-247-3 - With George Sessions
- “Simple in Means, Rich in Ends: Practicing Deep Ecology” (Gibbs Smith, 1988) - ISBN 978-0-87905-318-0
- “Living Richly in an Age of Limits” (Gibbs Smith, 1993) - ISBN 978-0-87905-550-4
- “The Ecology of Wisdom: Writings by Arne Naess” (Counterpoint, 2008) - ISBN 978-1-58243-401-3 - Co-editor with Alan Drengson
- “Clearcut: The Tragedy of Industrial Forestry” (Sierra Club Books, 1995) - ISBN 978-0-87156-426-0 - Editor
Quotes from Bill Devall
Further Reading
Biographical Sources
Key Books
- Deep Ecology: Living as if Nature Mattered (Gibbs Smith, 1985) - ISBN 978-0-87905-247-3
- Simple in Means, Rich in Ends (Gibbs Smith, 1988) - ISBN 978-0-87905-318-0
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