Rajaram Sir, You opened your floodgates.Swimming in it needs the capacity to swim. YMS
On Sat, Jan 17, 2026 at 10:10 AM Rajaram Krishnamurthy < [email protected]> wrote: > Long ago I read a book in USA library by author Daly on ecology and > economics; so from my material and google extracts of the book, formed this > article. K Rajaram IRS 17126 > > xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx > > Is Ecology Also Economics-Based? > > An Interdisciplinary Analysis of Ecology, Economics, and Sustainability > > Introduction > > Ecology and economics are commonly understood as distinct academic > disciplines, each with its own methodologies, assumptions, and historical > development. Ecology is traditionally classified as a natural science > rooted in biology, concerned with the interactions among organisms and > between organisms and their environment. Economics, by contrast, is a > social science focused on how humans allocate scarce resources to satisfy > unlimited wants. At first glance, these fields appear fundamentally > different in both purpose and approach. However, the increasing scale and > intensity of human impacts on the natural environment have brought ecology > and economics into close and unavoidable contact. > > Global environmental challenges such as climate change, biodiversity loss, > deforestation, soil degradation, water scarcity, and ocean overexploitation > demonstrate that ecological systems and economic systems are deeply > interconnected. Economic growth depends heavily on natural resources and > ecosystem functions, while ecological degradation is often driven by > economic activities. This interdependence has raised important > theoretical and practical questions: Is ecology also economics-based? > Should ecological systems be understood and managed through economic > frameworks? Or does applying economic logic to ecology risk > oversimplifying complex natural processes? > > This write-up argues that ecology is not economics-based in its origins, > principles, or core scientific framework. Ecology remains fundamentally a > biological science governed by natural laws rather than market mechanisms. > However, ecology is increasingly intertwined with economics in application, > policy, and interdisciplinary research. The rise of ecological economics, > the concept of ecosystem services, and sustainability discourse illustrate > how economic thinking has become inseparable from modern ecological > management. Understanding this relationship is essential for addressing > contemporary environmental challenges and achieving long-term > sustainability. > > The Origins and Scientific Foundations of Ecology > > Historical Development of Ecology > > Ecology emerged as a distinct scientific discipline in the late nineteenth > century, although its roots can be traced back to earlier naturalists > such as Alexander von Humboldt and Charles Darwin. The term “ecology” was > coined in 1866 by the German biologist Ernst Haeckel, who defined it as > the study of relationships between organisms and their environment. From > its inception, ecology was grounded in biology and natural history, not > economics or social science. > > Early ecological research focused on describing patterns in nature, such > as species distributions, population fluctuations, and community structure. > Over time, ecology developed into a rigorous quantitative science > incorporating mathematics, physics, chemistry, and evolutionary theory. > Subfields such as population ecology, community ecology, ecosystem ecology, > and landscape ecology expanded the discipline’s scope and analytical power. > > Core Ecological Principles > > At its core, ecology is concerned with understanding how natural systems > function. Key ecological principles include: > > Energy flow: Energy enters ecosystems primarily through photosynthesis > and flows through trophic levels via food chains and food webs. > > > > Nutrient cycling: Elements such as carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus cycle > through biotic and abiotic components of ecosystems. > > Population dynamics: Population size and structure are shaped by birth > rates, death rates, immigration, and emigration. > > Species interactions: Predation, competition, mutualism, and parasitism > influence community composition and stability. > > Carrying capacity and limits: Ecosystems can support only a finite number > of organisms based on available resources. > > Resilience and stability: Ecosystems vary in their ability to resist or > recover from disturbances. {KR different chapters} > > These principles are governed by natural laws, including thermodynamics > and evolutionary processes. They operate independently of human economic > systems, prices, or markets. For example, the flow of energy through an > ecosystem follows physical constraints that cannot be altered by economic > incentives. > > Ecology as a Natural Science, Not an Economic One > > Because ecology seeks to explain natural processes using empirical > observation and scientific theory, it cannot be described as > economics-based. Ecosystems function regardless of whether humans assign > them economic value. Forests regulate climate, oceans cycle nutrients, and > wetlands filter water even in the absence of markets or monetary systems. > > However, while ecology is not based on economics, it does place limits on > economic activity. *Ecological constraints such as resource availability, > waste absorption capacity, and ecosystem thresholds directly affect what > economic systems can sustainably achieve. In this sense, ecology sets the > biophysical boundaries within which economies must operate.* > > Economics and Its Relationship to the Environment > > Traditional Economic Perspectives on Nature > > Classical and neoclassical economic theories historically treated nature > as an external factor or an infinite resource base. Natural resources were > often viewed as inputs to production, while pollution and environmental > degradation were considered externalities—costs not reflected in market > prices. > > This perspective allowed economies to grow rapidly, particularly during > the industrial era, but it also contributed to widespread environmental > degradation. By failing to account for ecological limits and long-term > environmental costs, traditional economic models encouraged > overexploitation of natural resources. > > Scarcity, Growth, and Environmental Limits > > Economics is fundamentally concerned with scarcity and choice. However, > conventional economic models often assume that technological innovation and > market substitution can overcome natural resource constraints. Ecology > challenges this assumption by demonstrating that many ecosystem services > have no substitutes and that some ecological damages are irreversible. > > For example, biodiversity loss cannot be easily reversed through > technological means, and climate regulation provided by intact ecosystems > cannot be fully replicated by artificial systems. These realities highlight > the limitations of purely economic approaches to environmental management. > > Ecosystem Services: Bridging Ecology and Economics > > The Concept of Ecosystem Services > > The concept of ecosystem services represents one of the most significant > efforts to integrate ecology and economics. Ecosystem services refer to the > benefits that humans derive from natural ecosystems. These services are > commonly categorized into four groups: > > Provisioning services: Food, water, timber, fiber, and medicinal resources. > > > > Regulating services: Climate regulation, flood control, disease > regulation, and water purification. > > Supporting services: Soil formation, nutrient cycling, and primary > production. > > Cultural services: Recreational, spiritual, aesthetic, and educational > benefits. > > By framing ecological functions in terms of benefits to humans, the > ecosystem services concept makes ecological processes visible to economic > decision-makers and policymakers. > > Economic Valuation of Ecosystems > > Assigning economic value to ecosystem services is a controversial but > influential practice. Studies such as Costanza et al. (1997) estimated > the global value of ecosystem services to be greater than global GDP, > drawing attention to the immense but often unrecognized contribution of > nature to human well-being. > > Economic valuation can help justify conservation by demonstrating that > protecting ecosystems is not only environmentally beneficial but also > economically rational. For example, preserving mangroves may be more > cost-effective than building artificial flood defenses. > > Critiques of Ecosystem Valuation > > Despite its usefulness, ecosystem valuation has limitations. Critics argue > that reducing nature to monetary values risks commodifying ecosystems and > ignoring their intrinsic worth. Some ecological and cultural values cannot > be accurately captured in economic terms, and overreliance on valuation may > lead to policies that prioritize profitable ecosystems over ecologically > critical ones. > > Thus, while ecosystem services connect ecology and economics, they do not > transform ecology into an economics-based discipline. > > Ecological Economics: An Interdisciplinary Framework > > Emergence of Ecological Economics > > Ecological economics emerged in the late twentieth century as a response > to the failure of traditional economics to address environmental crises. > Scholars such as Herman Daly argued that economies are subsystems of the > Earth’s finite ecological system and must operate within ecological limits. > > Unlike environmental economics, which applies economic tools to > environmental problems, ecological economics integrates ecological > principles directly into economic theory. > > Core Principles of Ecological Economics > > Ecological economics is based on several key principles: > > Biophysical limits: Economic activity is constrained by energy, materials, > and ecosystem capacity. > > Sustainability over growth: Continuous economic growth is incompatible > with a finite planet. > > Natural capital: Ecosystems are forms of capital that provide essential > services. > > Intergenerational equity: Current economic decisions should not compromise > future generations. > > Systems thinking: Economic and ecological systems are interconnected and > complex. > > These principles demonstrate how ecology informs economic thinking, not > the other way around. > > Steady-State Economy > > One influential concept in ecological economics is the steady-state > economy, which aims to maintain stable levels of population and consumption > within ecological limits. This idea contrasts sharply with growth-oriented > economic models and highlights the central role of ecology in defining > sustainable economic boundaries. > > Conceptual Parallels Between Ecology and Economics > > Shared Analytical Concepts > > Ecology and economics share several analytical concepts that facilitate > interdisciplinary dialogue: > > Scarcity: Resources are limited in both ecological and economic systems. > > Competition: Organisms and economic agents compete for resources. > > Trade-offs: Energy allocation in organisms mirrors budget constraints in > economics. > > Efficiency: Both disciplines study how systems use resources effectively. > > Feedback loops: Ecological and economic systems exhibit nonlinear dynamics > and feedbacks. > > These parallels have led some scholars to apply economic models to > ecological systems and vice versa. > > Important Differences > > Despite these similarities, important differences remain. Ecological > systems are shaped by evolutionary processes and natural selection, whereas > economic systems are shaped by human institutions, preferences, and power > structures. Treating ecosystems as markets can obscure these fundamental > distinctions. > > Ecology, Economics, and Environmental Policy > > Economic Instruments in Environmental Management > > Modern environmental policy often relies on economic instruments informed > by ecological science. Examples include: > > Carbon taxes and emissions trading systems > > Payments for ecosystem services > > Environmental subsidies and taxes > > Cost–benefit analysis in conservation planning > > These tools aim to align economic incentives with ecological > sustainability. > > Sustainable Development > > The concept of sustainable development, popularized by the Brundtland > Report (1987), emphasizes meeting present needs without compromising future > generations. Achieving sustainable development requires integrating > ecological limits with economic and social goals. > > Ignoring ecological realities in economic planning can lead to > environmental collapse and long-term economic decline, as seen in > overfished fisheries or degraded agricultural lands. > > Ethical and Philosophical Dimensions > > Intrinsic vs. Instrumental Value of Nature > > A central debate in the ecology–economics relationship concerns the value > of nature. Economics typically emphasizes instrumental value—what nature > provides to humans—while ecology and environmental ethics often emphasize > intrinsic value, the worth of nature independent of human use. > > Reducing ecology to economics risks neglecting ethical responsibilities > toward non-human life and future generations. > > Environmental Justice > > Ecological degradation often disproportionately affects marginalized > communities. Integrating ecology and economics must therefore consider > issues of equity, justice, and power, not merely efficiency. > > Ecology is not economics-based in its origins, methods, or fundamental > principles. It is a natural science dedicated to understanding how living > systems function within the physical environment. However, in a world > dominated by human economic activity, ecology and economics have become > deeply intertwined. Economic systems depend on ecological systems for > resources, stability, and resilience, while ecological degradation is > driven largely by economic forces. > > The rise of ecosystem services, ecological economics, and sustainability > frameworks demonstrates that modern economic thinking increasingly > incorporates ecological principles. Rather than ecology becoming > economics-based, it is more accurate to say that economics must become > ecology-aware. Addressing global environmental challenges requires > respecting ecological limits while designing economic systems that promote > long-term sustainability, equity, and well-being. > > In the twenty-first century, the future of both ecology and economics lies > not in disciplinary separation but in informed, critical integration that > acknowledges the primacy of ecological systems in sustaining life on Earth. > > References > > Daly, H. E. (1996). Beyond Growth: The Economics of Sustainable > Development. Beacon Press. > > Daly, H. E., & Farley, J. (2011). Ecological Economics: Principles and > Applications. Island Press. > > Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx > > K RAJARAM IRS 16126 > > On Sat, 17 Jan 2026 at 06:04, Markendeya Yeddanapudi < > [email protected]> wrote: > >> >> >> -- >> *Mar* >> >> Ecology-Vs-Economics >> >> >> >> The Ecology of free nature automatically regenerates nature. The >> Cartesian Economics which promotes mechanization continuously degenerates >> and destroys nature. Ecology regenerates and economics degenerates. >> Everything in the Universe is connected to everything else in the Universe >> via electromagnetism. >> >> On the earth every life form is connected to every other life form >> emotionally via the troposphere. These two basic forces connect every life >> form to nature; every machine disturbs this fundamental connection. >> >> Every organism grows in life via these two connections and as a result >> every organism develops new and new endowments. Symbiosis is the path of >> growth which means new and new endowments, the gifts of evolution. Mutation >> was the natural process through which organisms gained new endowments. Just >> imagine the gigantic process of unicellular organisms mutating into diverse >> multicellular organisms of trillions of cells, every cell served by >> particular bacteria. >> >> On the other hand every life form gets maimed of its natural endowments >> by economics. Our great ancestors ran, swam, hopped, climbed, sang, and >> tuned with every other organisms in the gigantic Hormonic, in the free and >> symbiotic nature, the life of continuous exercise giving the new muscles >> that created new endowments. May be if only nature was left free we may >> have developed the capacity to fly like birds. >> >> Today we need the mechanical clutches for the same lost endowments. We do >> not even comprehend the gigantic loss. >> >> Imagine life when every cell in you, every bacterium in you joins the >> macro symbiosis. The endowments of those days have become supernatural >> powers and our Rationalists and Atheists scoff and lampoon at the very >> mention of those natural endowments dubbed as supernatural powers. Actually >> our great ancestors did not need any cell phones. They sensed naturally >> communications. They smelt and sensed. The Biosphere lived and functioned >> as one organism, Gaia. >> >> When a machine is used to do the work of a limb, then that symbiotic >> connection gets cut and that limb gradually becomes dysfunctional and >> ultimately freezes. The phenomenon of what may be called the Macro death >> grows. When an organism loses the macro connection, that organism has to >> wage a lonely struggle to live and Darwinism takes over creating the >> antibiosis. The net result for the humans today is the change of the >> ecological human into the Darwinized economic man. >> >> This economic man has taken his life into economic life which needs the >> continuous destruction of nature. Actually the subject Anatomy must be >> studied as the natural potential of every limb to develop new endowments >> via natural mutations in the free, healthy and symbiotic nature. >> Unfortunately we changed evolution into stagnation. And we define scope and >> stagnate. Can you imagine a subject that predicts the gaining of new >> natural endowments as part of natural evolution? That very aspect of nature >> has been killed by mechanization. >> >> Every University must have the basic mission to revive the symbiotic >> natural evolution.Mecanization and economics are conspiracies against >> nature. Education cannot be surrender to machines. It must create new >> natural endowments, not increase the dependence on machines for every limb >> function. >> >> The first basic step is to start a ‘Free Nature Park’ without any >> tampering to pioneer the revival of the lost natural faculties. We must >> realize that in the free and healthy nature, new endowments mutate >> naturally. Mutation is progress. >> >> YM Sarma >> >> -- >> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups >> "Thatha_Patty" group. >> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an >> email to [email protected]. >> To view this discussion visit >> https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/thatha_patty/CACDCHCL0ELLRg6oePLDqQKZBju3mD4NToHmq6sK%2B8c%3DxKjEUKw%40mail.gmail.com >> <https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/thatha_patty/CACDCHCL0ELLRg6oePLDqQKZBju3mD4NToHmq6sK%2B8c%3DxKjEUKw%40mail.gmail.com?utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer> >> . >> > -- *Mar* -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Thatha_Patty" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/thatha_patty/CACDCHC%2BG9u6xEmithdGvn1oJoO2OyRq3mJaiOF2%3DxDy38Z1Y-w%40mail.gmail.com.
