Pentti Linkola

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Pentti Linkola (2011)

Kaarlo Pentti Linkola (born December 7, 1932 in Helsinki , † April 5, 2020 in Valkeakoski ) was a Finnish radical environmentalist , deep ecologist , ornithologist , author and fisherman .

Life

Linkola was the son of Kaarlo Linkola (1888–1942), professor of botany and later rector of the University of Helsinki , and his second wife Hilkka nee. Suolahti (1907-2001), daughter of a former chancellor of the University of Helsinki. He had an older sister and a younger brother; a half-brother from the father's first marriage died in the Continuation War . Linkola's father was a co-founder and first chairman of the Finnish Nature Conservation Association (Suomen Luonnonsuojeluyhdistys , today Suomen luonnonsuojeluliitto) . Linkola grew up in Helsinki, in his father's official residence in the university's botanical garden until 1943, and spent summers on his grandfather's farm near Hattula . After the father's death in 1942, the family's financial situation worsened. Linkola visited the prestigious Suomalainen Yhteiskoulu in Helsinki , where he graduated from high school in 1950, and then took up a degree in zoology  and botany at the University of Helsinki, which he broke off after a year and a half, according to his own statement, because he was not interested I own desk work, but have to live outdoors. He continued his self-taught in biology and other sciences continued and worked from 1952 to 1959 as a freelance naturalists, including long periods of time on the Ornithological Signilskär in Hammarland on the Åland Islands. In 1959 he became a professional fisherman and fished on the Baltic Sea and in inland lakes, for many years in Kuhmoinen on Lake Päijänne , and since 1978 on the Vanajavesi . At the same time he continued his systematic bird watching.

Linkola was born with Aliisa from 1961 to 1975. Lummes, with whom he had two daughters, born in 1961 and 1963. According to Linkola, the marriage ended in divorce because after a drop in the price of fish, he found it difficult to support the family with his fishery, but still refused to change jobs. Linkola worked as a fisherman until 1995, doing without all technical aids, fishing from a rowboat and bringing the catch to the buyers in a horse-drawn cart. He lived alone in a little house in Ritvala, a small village that used to belong to Sääksmäki and now belongs to Valkeakoski . In old age Linkola suffered from type I diabetes and clinical depression. He died in his sleep at home on the night of April 4 to 5, 2020 at the age of 87 and was found dead by his housekeeper that morning.

activities

Linkola initially published articles in ornithological journals and books on ornithology. He observed and mapped over a long time bird populations and was more honorary than 60 years in the bird ringing operates. He was made an honorary member by the Ornithological Association of Finland and in 1988 received the gold medal of the Association of Ornithological Societies in Finland (now BirdLife Suomi ) for his commitment to bird protection .

Linkola's first political publication was the pacifist brochure Isänmaan ja seineisen puolesta: mutta ei ketään vastaan (For fatherland and man, but not against anyone), published in 1960 , in which he called for conscientious objection. Linkola himself had done military service in the Finnish army and achieved the rank of non-commissioned officer . He later turned away from pacifism for environmental reasons, although he continued to oppose national armies.

In 1971 Unelmat paremmasta maailmasta (Dreams of a Better World), Linkola's first publication on conservation issues, was published. Like the later titles on nature conservation and environmental protection, this book was a compilation of articles, essays and newspaper and magazine articles; many of them appeared in the largest Finnish magazine Suomen Kuvalehti . For Toisinajattelijan päiväkirjasta (From the diary of a lateral thinker) from 1979 he received the Eino-Leino Literature Prize of the Finnish Book Foundation in 1983, for Johdatus 1990-luvun ajatteluun (Introduction to Thought of the 1990s) from 1989 he received the Lauri-Jäntti- Scientific literature award.

Linkola took part in the Koijärvi protests (1979-1981), from which the green movement in Finland developed, which he initially supported and for which he designed a program in 1986. But he soon distanced himself from her because she was not radical enough for him and was no longer involved in founding the green party Vihreä liitto . Instead, he was seen as a reference person for smaller groups of radical environmental activists.

In 1995 Linkola founded the nature conservation organization Luonnonperintösäätiö (Natural Heritage Foundation), which uses donations to buy forest areas that are still in their original state and place them under nature protection. He brought the scholarship and prize money that had been awarded to him into this foundation, of which he had been chairman since 1996, as well as the proceeds from a large collection of donations on the occasion of his 60th birthday. He was also a board member of the Finnish section of the WWF .

Despite his reclusive lifestyle, Linkola remained present in the Finnish public, press and media until his death.

Views

The starting point and central theme of Linkola's thinking was the man-made threat to the ecosphere and the need to save it. In doing so, he identified the population explosion as essential factors as well as the consumer society, which was shaped by technical development and capitalism, with its steadily increasing consumption of nature. Increasingly, he saw humans only as homo destructivus , as the destroyer of nature and life. From this he concluded that the world can only be saved if mankind adapts to the limitations given by nature and retreats to its “ ecological niche ”. Two things are necessary for this: on the one hand, a massive reduction in the world's population, and on the other hand, turning away from the lifestyle of the western affluent society .

Linkola represented these insights with passion and never tired of pointing out the destruction of the natural environment and the catastrophic consequences with great literary talent. As early as 1970, he represented positions that were critical of consumption and anti-technology and praised the simple, natural life in the country. In the course of time he became more and more uncompromising, radical and provocative in his positions and liked the role of the outsider and the persona non grata . He fundamentally denied that the human species had a privileged position over other biological species and therefore refused to attribute an absolute value to the individual human life. Rather, every means is justified in the fight against overpopulation as the greatest threat to life on earth. As a result, Linkola not only advocated birth control and eugenics , but welcomed all "actions that promote the extermination of human life," including terrorism , genocide , poisoning urban water supplies, or deliberately triggering pandemics . It would be best if the world population were reduced to a quarter at the most by a third world war and then kept constant by strict birth control. The survivors should lead a simple, nature-loving life as fishermen, farmers and artisans in a dictatorial society without electricity and other modern technologies . He described democracy as "the religion of death" and rejected universal suffrage. Since average people are incapable of rational behavior, an elite with better insights must rule over them. He repeatedly expressed his contempt for the "man on the street". A high standard of living not only harms nature, but also harms the soul. 99% of all goods offered are unnecessary or harmful. Linkola criticized what he believed to be the excessive duration of school education as well as its content and rejected the concept of “lifelong learning” and adult education, as the “natural learning age” was in adolescents. He described Finland as the northernmost bridgehead of consumer society and particularly rejected the pronounced Finnish summer house culture as a luxury that harms nature. He rejected the argument that Finland, which is only sparsely populated, does not have an overpopulation problem, arguing that areas in comparable climatic zones are almost deserted and that, in relative terms, Finland is far too densely populated. He called for the aid payments to the Third World to be stopped and fought against immigration to Europe as well as the spread of invasive animal species such as mink and raccoons . He accused the Catholic Church of attaching "too much importance to human life". In his last interview, which appeared three days before his death, he expressed the hope that "the coronavirus could slow down the destruction of the earth a little".

reception

Although almost all of Linkola's books were only published in Finnish, he also gained international fame due to the uncompromising attitude of his positions. Critics classified him as an " eco-fascist "; JP Roos, professor of sociology at the University of Helsinki, even spoke of "eco-Nazism" and brought Linkola close to National Socialism . Jera and Jyri Hänninen wrote in their book “Land of a Thousand Ideas”: “Linkola is perhaps the only public figure in Finland who openly represents fascism and dictatorship.” Linkola attracted attention in right-wing intellectual circles; the first and so far only translation of one of his books into English was published by a publisher that counts itself among the “New Right”.

In Finland Linkola was vehemently attacked on the one hand because of his anti-democracy and misanthropy, on the other hand he enjoyed a certain amount of sympathy, especially in later years, not least because of his gnarled peculiarity; In a reader survey by the country's largest daily newspaper, Helsingin Sanomat , according to the “national treasures of Finland”, he landed in fourth place. He was also shown respect for consistently practicing the lifestyle he required.

Pekka-Eric Auvinen, who committed the Jokela school massacre in 2007 , cited Linkola, among others.

The biography Pentti Linkola - himinen ja legenda (Pentti Linkola - the man and the legend) by Riitta Kylänpää, published in 2017, was awarded the prestigious Finlandia Non-Fiction Prize.

Honors

  • 1994 Culture Prize of the City of Valkeakoski
  • 1998 Environment Prize of the Finnish Nature Conservation Union

Fonts

Ornithological essays

  • On the methodology of quantitative bird research in inland waters . In Ornis Fennica 36 (1959), pp. 66-78
  • About the sex ratio in ducks . In: Ornis Fennica 37 (1960), pp. 36-45
  • To know about the migration of Finnish titbirds. In: Ornis Fennica 38 (1961). Pp. 127-145
  • Observations on the food of the rough-footed owl (Aegolius funereus) during the autumn migration to Signilskär, Åland . In: Ornis Fennica 40 (1963), pp. 69-72
  • (with A. Myllymäki): The influence of small mammal fluctuations on the breeding of some small mammal-eating birds in southern Häme, Central Finland 1952–1966 . In: Ornis Fennica 46 (1969), pp. 45-78

Books

  • (with Olavi Hildén): Suuri Lintukirja. (The great bird book) Otava, Helsinki 1955, new edition 1962
  • (with Pehr Charpentier): Isänmaan yes himisen puolesta: Mutta ei ketään vastaan. (For fatherland and man, but against nobody) Suomen sadankomitealiitto, Helsinki 1960. New edition: Into-pamfletti, Helsinki 2010.
  • (Co-editor): Pohjolan linnut värikuvin: Elinympäristö. Levinneisyys. Muutto. (The birds of the north in color photos. Habitat. Distribution. Bird migration.) Otava, Helsinki 1963–67.
  • Unelmat paremmasta maailmasta. (Dreams of a Better World) Helsinki: WSOY, 1971, 4th edition 1990.
  • Toisinajattelijan päiväkirjasta. (From the diary of a lateral thinker) Helsinki: WSOY, 1979, ISBN 951-0-09514-1 .
  • (with Osmo Soininvaara ): Kirjeitä Linkolan ohjelmasta. (Letters via Linkola's program) Perusta, 1986, ISBN 951-0-14133-X .
  • Johdatus 1990-luvun ajatteluun. (Introduction to 1990s Thought) WSOY, Helsinki 1989, ISBN 951-0-15940-9 .
  • Voisiko elämä voittaa: yes millä ehdoilla. (Could life win - and under what conditions?) Tammi, Helsinki 2004, ISBN 951-31-3159-9 .
    • Translation into English: Can Life Prevail? A Radical Approach to the Environmental Crisis. Integral Tradition Publishing, 2009; Arktos Medien 2011, ISBN 978-1907166631

literature

  • Vesa Dittinen: Eco-Fascism - A Case Study from Finland. In: German Studies. Acta Academiae Paedagogicae Agriensis Nova Series Tom. XX. Az Esterházy Károly Tanárképző Főiskola Tudományos Közleményei. Eger 1990, pp. 41-48. Digitized version (PDF, 560 KB)
  • Riitta Kylänpää: Pentti Linkola - yes, legenda. (Pentti Linkola - the man and the legend) Siltala, 2017, ISBN 978-952-234-350-5

Web links

Commons : Pentti Linkola  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Luonnonsuojelija Pentti Linkola on kuollut YLE Uutiset, April 5, 2020
  2. ↑ Matti Haapasaari: Linkola, Kaarlo. In: Kansallisbiografia-Verkkojulkaisu. Suomalaisen Kirjallisuuden Seura, December 17, 2010, accessed April 8, 2020 (Finnish).
  3. ↑ a b c d e Anto Leikola: Linkola, Pentti. In: Kansallisbiografia-Verkkojulkaisu. Suomalaisen Kirjallisuuden Seura, April 7, 2020, accessed April 8, 2020 (Finnish).
  4. ↑ Matti Tanner: Pentti Linkola 1932-2020: Äärimmäinen luonnonsuojelija ei säästänyt itseään - erist vihaajaksi luultu erakko oli loistava seuramies. Iltalehti, April 5, 2020
  5. ↑ Jukka Lindfors: Pentti Linkolalle terrorismi on iloinen asia . YLE Archives, November 14, 2018, accessed April 16, 2020
  6. ↑ Pentti Linkola - kuusikymppisenä ykköstyypin diabeetikoksi , in: Diabetes-lehti 5/2013
  7. ^ Pentti Linkola. . In: Helsingin Sanomat, December 2, 2012
  8. ↑ Matti Kuusela: Pentti Linkola kuoli kotonaan nukkuessaan, vielä viikko sitten hän osallistui kokoukseen, suunnitteli metsien suojelua - yes odotti, milloin linnut alkavat taas laulaa. Aamulehti, April 5, 2020
  9. ↑ Seija Aunila: Ex-pasifisti Pentti Linkola kertoo . YLE Archives, October 23, 2018, accessed April 16, 2020
  10. ↑ Lauri Jäntin säätiö: Palkitut 1985–2020 . Retrieved April 16, 2020.
  11. ^ A b Ville Matilainen: Pentti Linkolan tummanvihreä maailma . YLE Archives, August 17, 2017, accessed April 16, 2020
  12. ↑ Seija Aunila, Sirpa Jegorow: Kalastaja Pentti Linkolan mietteitä . YLE Archives, November 16, 2018, accessed April 16, 2020
  13. ↑ André Anwar: It doesn't help to shoot comrades . In: Der Tagesspiegel , November 13, 2007.
  14. ↑ Olli Korhonen: Pentti Linkola herättää suuria tunteita. In: retkipaikka.fi. August 30, 2012, accessed November 21, 2015 (Finnish).
  15. ↑ Global Warming Alarmist Calls For Eco-Gulags To Re-Educate Climate Deniers. In: prisonplanet.com. September 20, 2010, accessed November 21, 2015 .
  16. ↑ Heljä Korpijoki: Pentti Linkolan linja pitää edelleen. In: Keskisuomalainen , August 23, 2014, accessed April 16, 2020
  17. ↑ Juulia Jaulimo: Pentti Linkola kertoi voinnistaan ​​vasta kolme päivää sitten julkaistussa haastattelussa Kulttuuritoimitus-lehdessä - "Coronavirus voi hieman jarruttaa maapallon tuhoa" . MTV Uutiset, April 5, 2020
  18. ↑ JP Roos: Linkolan ekonatsismi ( Memento from June 3, 2004 in the Internet Archive )
  19. ↑ "Linkola on ehkä ainoa avoimesti fasismia ja diktatuuria kannattava julkisuuden henkilö Suomessa." In: Jera Hänninen, Jyri Hänninen: Tuhansien aatteiden maa: Ääriajattelua nyky-Suomessa , Kniga, Helsinki 2010, p. 247.
  20. ↑ Martin Lichtmesz : In memoriam Pentti Linkola (1932 - 2020) , in: Sezession , April 9, 2020, accessed April 16, 2020
  21. ↑ About Arktos. Retrieved April 16, 2020
  22. ^ Brendan O'Neill: Rating Humanity . In: The Guardian, November 14, 2007, accessed April 16, 2020
  23. ↑ Pentti Linkola on the City of Valkeakoski website, accessed April 16, 2020
  24. ↑ Suomen Luonnonsuojeluliitto: Palkitut . Retrieved April 16, 2020.
personal data
SURNAME Linkola, Pentti
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Linkola, Kaarlo Pentti (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Finnish militant environmentalist, deep ecologist, ornithologist, author and fisherman
DATE OF BIRTH December 7, 1932
PLACE OF BIRTH Helsinki , Finland
DATE OF DEATH April 5, 2020
Place of death Valkeakoski