Derrick Jensen

American ecophilosopher, radical environmentalist, and anti-civilization advocate · United States · On the map · Writers · Born 1960 · age 65

Derrick Jensen is an American environmental activist, author and ecophilosopher in the anarcho-primitivist tradition. He believes that human civilization is and has always been unsustainable for the planet.

Derrick Jensen is read about 46 times a day, in 18 languages.

A typical day, 30 days to 6 November 2026

The middle day of the days counted, so one week of news cannot move it. The line under it is the last 103 days, one point a day.

Something wrong?

Compare Claim

A life in dates

2006“From the beginning, this culture - civilization - has been a culture of occupation.”In their wordsVol. 1, pg. XIRead the whole statement

“I've always wanted to blow up dams in order to save salmon, sturgeon, and other creatures whose lives depend on wild and living rivers. But that's not right.”In their words"What Goes Up Must Come Down", p. 287Read the whole statement

2005“I've never written this before in public, but my first thought on September 11 when I heard someone was attacking the World Trade Center is, 'Ah, so now it begins.”In their words2 February 2005Interview with CounterpunchRead the whole statement

“I want to bring down civilization. It's really clear that civilization is killing the planet.”In their wordsInterview with No Compromise, 2005.Read the whole statement

2003“If we wish to stop the atrocities, we will need to understand and change the social and economic conditions that cause them.”In their wordsp. XIIRead the whole statement

“How, precisely, do you define a police state? Is it the number of police per capita? How about the number of prisons? Police use of machine guns or armored personnel carriers?”In their wordsp. 22Read the whole statement

1960Born19 December 1960

People around Derrick

Close ties

Also in Deutsch

Media & music

Photos 2

Lierre Keith (left) and Jensen (right) with Deep Green Resistance at Occupy Oakland in 2011

In their own words 4

Derrick Jensen

4 statements, newest first

Love does not imply pacifism.
2006 · Vol. 1, pg. XI, Own words
Civilization is based on a clearly defined and widely accepted yet often unarticulated hierarchy.
2006 · Vol. 1, p. IX, Own words
A very poor kid came up to me after a talk and said 'I want to go blow up a factory.' I asked how old he was and he said 17.
April 2005 · Interview with The A Word Magazine, March-April 2005., Own words