What is the difference between economy and ecology? By definition, the economy is the management of household affairs, especially expenses, thrifty and efficient use of resources; frugality in expenditures, and the structure of economic life in an area or a period (Miriam Webster). Ecology is a branch of science concerned with the interrelationship of organisms and their environment, the totality or pattern of relations between organisms and their environment (Miriam Webster). Although these two terms contradict each other, they cannot be separated. If we had an economy without ecology, we would have no knowledge or concerns about the environment and how it works. The human economy is inseparable from the world's ecology. Economy relates
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Aldo Leopold, who wrote “Thinking Like a Mountain”, coined the term Land Ethics. Land ethics expands the definition of “community” to include not only humans but all other parts of the earth such as soil, water, plants, animals, etc. (class notes). Leopold emphasized that everything has the right to survive and this right is not given by humans. In “Thinking Like a Mountain”, Leopold described how everything has a purpose. He stated that wolves have a purpose to the mountain that man cannot understand. The wolves purpose is to kill the deer. If the wolves did not exist to kill the deer, the deer would overpopulate. Once the deer take over, they would protect the mountain. Killing all the wolves would result in too much safety which would yield only danger in the long run. Organisms have a responsibility to the environment to protect it and humans disregard this responsibility. In Edward Abbeys social analysis “Shadows from the Big Woods”, he states that nature needs more defenders. Abbey describes how throughout his childhood, nature provoked emotions that made him feel wonder, mystery, and terror. The destruction of wilderness and promotion of industrialism has stripped the imagination from adults. The environment is now viewed as a means of profit. This is how economy and ecology are related. People use the environment for the benefit of themselves. As a result, the …show more content…
. . [There are] real consequences for nature’s household of our economic beliefs, values, and ways of organizing ourselves” (Anderson 289). Economic growth vs. ecological integrity has been an issue for a long time. In the end, everyone wants the same things such as safety, health, love, and a connection and relationship with the natural world in which we live. How to meet these goals is difficult in our complex world. We live in a world where everything someone has is believed to come from economic activity rather than from the ecological processes which sustain all life on earth. Ecology and the economy go hand in hand and are closely related yet widely
Aldo Leopold, who wrote “Thinking Like a Mountain”, coined the term Land Ethics. Land ethics expands the definition of “community” to include not only humans but all other parts of the earth such as soil, water, plants, animals, etc. (class notes). Leopold emphasized that everything has the right to survive and this right is not given by humans. In “Thinking Like a Mountain”, Leopold described how everything has a purpose. He stated that wolves have a purpose to the mountain that man cannot understand. The wolves purpose is to kill the deer. If the wolves did not exist to kill the deer, the deer would overpopulate. Once the deer take over, they would protect the mountain. Killing all the wolves would result in too much safety which would yield only danger in the long run. Organisms have a responsibility to the environment to protect it and humans disregard this responsibility. In Edward Abbeys social analysis “Shadows from the Big Woods”, he states that nature needs more defenders. Abbey describes how throughout his childhood, nature provoked emotions that made him feel wonder, mystery, and terror. The destruction of wilderness and promotion of industrialism has stripped the imagination from adults. The environment is now viewed as a means of profit. This is how economy and ecology are related. People use the environment for the benefit of themselves. As a result, the …show more content…
. . [There are] real consequences for nature’s household of our economic beliefs, values, and ways of organizing ourselves” (Anderson 289). Economic growth vs. ecological integrity has been an issue for a long time. In the end, everyone wants the same things such as safety, health, love, and a connection and relationship with the natural world in which we live. How to meet these goals is difficult in our complex world. We live in a world where everything someone has is believed to come from economic activity rather than from the ecological processes which sustain all life on earth. Ecology and the economy go hand in hand and are closely related yet widely