Page 39 - ECOlogic Book

Ekistics: A Science of Qualities
(Winter, 1991)

In our deepest subjectivity, we are earth. Thomas Berry

A new word has entered the Ecology Center’s vocabulary: Ekistics. Derived
from the Greek word οἰκιστικός (having to do with the foundations of a house
or settlement), Ekistics is defined as a field of study, area of knowledge,
concepts and values through which humankind recognizes interdependence
with the environment and responsibility for a culture that will sustain it. It
has a scientific ring to it. Yet it seems to belong to a new order of science.

Because it deals with the environment, it seems related to ecology, which,
according to Webster) is a division of biology that treats of the relations
between organisms and their environment.” How does Ekistics differ from
Ecology? The difference is subtle but important. It’s possible within the
boundaries of ecology, to leave the human out of the equation, to study the
relationships between other organisms, forgetting that the human is also an

organism interacting with other life forms. There still is a strong tendency
within biology to view organismic processes mechanistically through the lens
of objectivity. This is not surprising, given the hold mechanistic science
continues to have on all of the sciences and the contemporary world view.

In fairness to Ecology, it’s worth repeating the words of John Cobb, the co-
founder of the Center for Process Studies, when he says, “the ecological
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movement is a prime bearer of an emerging postmodern world view.”

While ecologists are tremendously impressed by the infinite complexity of
the natural world, and by the degradation human systems are causing, the
study of ecology is not generally focused primarily on the human-
environment interface. Ekistics is. Human impacts are creating an
environment that will not be able to support the increasing human

36 Griffin, David Ray, Ed., “The Reenchanatment of Science: Postmodern Proposals,” State University of New
York Press, Albany, NY, p. 99.

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