Page 40 - ECOlogic Book

population. It is out of this stunning realization on the part of many
ecologists that the field of Ekistics is emerging.

Despite these new developments, many ecologists are still stuck in
mechanism. Given the mechanistic underpinnings of modern science, this is
not surprising. “Systems theory has enabled those wedded to mechanism to
envision far more complex machines, replete with all manner of feedback
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loops,” says Cobb. Trained in a world view that denies to nature all
experience of subjectivity, it it’s still inconceivable to most scientists that

such qualities as self-determination or purpose might be inherent in any
natural form, or to go even further, in the most elementary physical units.
As one examines the historic development of modern science, an irony
appears. Cobb describes this in his essay, “Ecology, Science, and Religion:”
“The emergence of a mechanistic view of nature which denied to nature any
purpose, capacity for self-movement, or interiority, was not a necessity of
science. At least in part, it was designed to support theological voluntarism,
the idea that the transcendent God imposes ‘His’ will be fiat upon the world.”
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Some ecologists are now saying that, “We will not have a true science of
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ecology until this mechanistic view is overcome,” and there is now
emerging a more qualitative understanding of this word “relationship” (which
is what ecologists study). The key phrase is internal relationships, implying
that each entity, human or otherwise, has at its core a way of connecting up

with other entities; a desire, and impetus, an inner radiance. Thomas Berry
talks about this “interiority” as a numinous aspect in each being; an ever-
increasing awakening and intelligibility. This quality, Berry asserts,
permeates the universe. There is nothing in the universe that doesn’t
express it. To know this is to relate with other beings from a state of
comprehensive reverence. Modern scientific analysis, whose cornerstone is
objectivity, and the technological manipulations it gives birth to, violate this

37 Ibid.

38 Ibid.

39 Ibid.

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