Understanding Human Ecology: How Nature & Culture shape our world?
In our day to day lives, not a moment goes by when we do not interact with our environment. Such is the symbiotic relation that we share with the environment that not only our lives are continuously impacted by it, but also, the environment is shaped by human actions.
To study this inter-twined relationship between an individual and his/her environment, the discipline of Human Ecology was created. Human Ecology studies the interrelationships between humans, their cultures and the totality of the ecosystems they inhabit. At the outset, the human-environment interaction under examination is chosen as a part belonging to a whole. In other words, the various biophysical, socioeconomic, cultural, and historical processes that shape up the whole of human existence.
As a cognitive practice, the motivation behind this field of study comes from a concern not just for the prudential but also for the ethical consequences of human-environment interactions. In this regard, human ecology is like any other applied science.
Since its inception in the early 19th century, human ecology represents a fusion of biological and social sciences. It has been described by variously scholars a field of study that is (a) multidisciplinary — in that it draws upon the insights of different disciplines — ; (b) interdisciplinary — in that it integrates the insights of other disciplines into a whole greater than the sum of its parts; and transdisciplinary — beyond all disciplines and therefore a-disciplinary, hence not really a discipline at all.
Origin of Human Ecology
The mother of Human Ecology was Ellen Swallow (later Richards). In 1892, she became the first person to use the term “human ecology,” Born into a small, isolated rural community of Dunstable, Massachusetts, in 1842, Ellen was home-schooled by her parents, who were both teachers. A bright and curious student, however Ellen was frail and sickly, and on doctor’s orders, was instructed to spend much of her time outdoors, in the hope that fresh air and exercise would prove beneficial for her health. These formative experiences of the curative power of a healthy environment served the foundation of her lifelong interest in the influence of the environment on the health and well-being of human beings.
She was convinced science could and should be applied to everyday household and community situations. Later, Ellen went on to graduate from MIT with a Bachelor of Science in chemistry in 1873 and established herself as a water scientist of international fame. The ongoing process of industrialization charging ahead with no thought for its broader consequences on the environment influenced her to develop the discipline of Human Ecology.
Impact on Environment and Need for Control (Euthenics)
According to Ellen the quality of life on individuals depended on the “ability of society to teach its members how-to live-in harmony with their environment”. She gave great importance to the therapeutic value of the pristine environment. At the municipal and local levels, she was concerned with those polluting processes that could be “controlled” — one of her later labels for her work was “euthenics,” which she explained as “The science of the controllable environment”. Her faith in science to facilitate the improvement in humanity’s condition was unshakable. At all scales, from the home to the broader environment, she held that knowledge could be liberating and a force for good.
Key Takeaways from Human Ecology
Human Ecologymust be inculcated as a philosophy of life and be practiced regularly to guide one’s actions. It seeks individuals to move beyond merely diagnosing what may be problematic in a human — environment interaction, rather reflect on the potential that their thoughtful and conscientious action holds. It facilitates a holistic approach to understanding these interactions as acting within a larger context, sending out the broader message that that part of the situation cannot be remedied in isolation of the whole of which it is a part.
Human Ecology is concerned with the social and ethical dimension of the current socio-environmental arrangements, compelling individuals to think for themselves if their intended action is fair or ethical? And above all, it believes in the power of conscientious action in ushering social change. It is driven by a constant preoccupation to look for motivations that may enthuse people to work together to try to achieve a just, sustainable, and worthwhile future.
This article first appeared at Dalham. Check out at https://www.dalhamlearning.com/dl_blogs/2021/07/31/understanding-human-ecology-how-nature-culture-shape-our-world/
