Human Ecology: Home, work and society

Dr. Mauri ÅhlbergProfessor of Biology and Sustainability Education

University of Helsinki

• Reflecting on basic concepts from the title• Adding a couple of underpinning concepts and theories• Viepoint: the science of biology and sustainability education

that for me is an integrating science. • Integrating knowledge, theories and concepts from biology,

including evolutionary biology, psychology, in particular positive psychology, philosophy of science, in particular epistemology and axiology, from all other relevant, valid and reliable sources.

• Using Inquiry-based learning, dialog for truth, and cumulative, personal and collaborative knowledge building and learning.

• Preliminary, tentative theories. They and their underpinnings are continually subject to both theoretical and empirical testing like in all research in natural, social and human sciences.

• Humans (homo sapiens) are part of Nature, • part of its biosphere, • totally dependent of the rest of biosphere for our

food. • sustainable use of biodiversity is the core of

sustainable development. It requires learning to identify local species. NatureGate approach is interactive, easy-to-use, valid, reliable and beautiful: http://www.iucn.org/about/union/commissions/cec/?2614/

• At the end of the presentation, we will learn how to use this online service for good life (eudaimonia), for good intergenerational relationships, for taking care of everybody, all members of society from children to elderly people

• Sustainable living, sustainable life style, means integrating ecologically, economically and socially sustainable development in personal life, in our own home and in our own community.

• Learning to identify local organisms, including home and garden plants and weeds, is an important part of ecologically sustainable development. There are people who want to be detached from “nature” as much as possible. They loose plenty of deep, meaningful experiences. From evolutionary viewpoint humans have biophilia (love of life, its organisms, we are all related evolutionary) (Wilson 1984).

• An evolutionary view: Humans were gatherers and hunters for hundreds of thousands of years. History of farming and settled populations, cities and towns is much younger, mostly thousands and hundreds of years.

• Clarifying values: Starting from the expressed VALUES of HRF: “HRF is inspired by the Christian values of justice, freedom, respect for human dignity, striving for excellence and an ideal service.”

• VALUES: intrinsic values are often implicit or even missing:

• Life is a metavalue (sustainability is part of it) , truth, beauty, and the good/goodness, good life in particular,

• For me ‘justice’, ‘freedom’, ‘respect for human dignity’, ‘striving for excellence’ and an ‘ideal service’ are instrumental values to promote intrinsic values of life, and good life (eudaimonia, flourishing, wellbeing, happiness) in particular.

• As far as I understand, the most important thing in life, is striving for life well lived, a worthwhile life.

• I have met and observed both happy people and unhappy and miserable ones. This is an open-ended continuum.

• According to my own University studies, after two therapies, own research and plenty of own everyday thinking, I have come to conclusion:

• The most important work for yourself and those who you love, with whom you create a home, is to continually reflect on the content of your mind, to organize your thinking and feelings with the loved ones, in dialogue for truth and sustainable, good, meaningful life and future.

• Nowadays, after a decade of intensive research of positive psychology, we know how people will experience good life, meaningful life, happiness, flourishing.

• One of the easiest tasks is to bring into your mind continually a list of things, of which, you ought to be very grateful.

• This practice fills your mind with calmness, happiness: After all, there are many things in this world that you ought to be grateful.

• Also if you have found a life partner, bringing an image of her/him into your mind probably increases your wellbeing, happiness.

• Religious people often repeat in their mind an image that they are on God’s hand, and their greatest joy is to be near God. It. I value Christian values, but as a secular researcher, I enjoy company of my bride and her dog. Interaction with both of them, being near them is for me very rewarding, gratifying.

• Human ecology:• http://www.societyforhumanecology.org/• http://www.humanecologyreview.org/ • Scientifically, a deep and profound definition

of human ecology:• Human ecology in the University of Lund,

http://www.hek.lu.se/o.o.i.s/11185• A very practical, scientifically rather superficial

approach to Human ecology, Cornell university, http://www.human.cornell.edu/

• "Human Ecology studies human life and human activity in different ecosystems and different cultures in the present and in the past, in order to gain a better understanding of the factors which influence the interaction between humans and their environment. The ambition to achieve a more complete view requires an integrated perspective that transcends traditional boundaries between the humanities, social sciences, natural sciences, and technology." (University of Lund, Last modified 2 Mar 2011)

• What is missing, is an option of creating, designing a better kinds of sustainable human activities in different ecosystems.

• Ours is not the best possible world. Description is nor enough. Knowing probable causal chains we are able to reason what would be wise to do in each context.

• It is best to make research first and act only after that. We have plenty of scientific knowledge, and continually increasing, how we can design better futures in any ecosystem for humans and other partners in those ecosystems.

• The Cornell University approach to Human ecology reminds me a classification of approaches to issues and problems of the world:

• Ahlberg (1998) building on Bunge (1974 - 1989): (1) atomism, or more accurately particularism, focusing on details,

• (2) unscientific, often philosophical holism, focusing on the whole only, and

• (3) scientific holism, systemism, or more accurately integrativism, in which increased understanding of the main parts and their relationships and the whole system is sought after.

• The Cornell approach to Human ecology is an example of particularism. Only details, not a global systemic understanding is sought after.

• HOME has many definitions. • Englishmen often want to stress that their home is

their castle. It may be a house, a manor, a flat, something they own. (Home < tent, tipi, teepee.)

• Home can be also a relationship with the loved one(s). You are at home when you are with your loved one(s). (cf. babies and their mothers.)

• This is the main aspect of home to me. For sure I am always somewhere, often in the physical flat that I own. I may call it also my home, but I can leave it and be with my bride anywhere, and I feel that I am at home. I feel that I am at home with my loved one anywhere. Evolutionary humans are gatherers and hunters. At that time we were nomads. The most important part in home, are persons and their relationships.

• Work is needed to transform nature into all kinds of products and services that individuals and society need in order to survive, to be healthy and sustainable.

• Organizations are human groups for specific purposes like facilitating birth, education, work, and finally taking care of death. Most people rely on experts in organizations, some want to do everything by themselves.

• Sometimes it is possible sometimes illegal. E.g. in Finland you can have home schools, but teachers of official state school system evaluate the learning of pupils in home schools.

• Most people do not risk life of their loved ones by having birth of child at home without any expert.

• Organizations and society: Without organized society and its organizations modern life would be impossible. Small may be beautiful, but in real life many laws and regulations protects us from tyranny, unnecessary accidents, injures and deaths.

• Citizens, persons, are learning. Education is used to promote learning, thinking and acting. The whole person is learning. Persons are thinking, feeling and acting. Learning concerns all these aspects. Humans are learning the whole life from childhood to old age (> 65 years)

• Organizations and society: Without organized society and its organizations modern life would be impossible. Small may be beautiful, but in real life many laws and regulations protects us from tyranny, unnecessary accidents, injures and deaths.

• In Good society all citizens are taken care. Good society is relatively equal also economically.

• In Good society, people are valued as persons, individuals. Good society supports families, their homes as core of society.

• There are expressed, basic or real needs: • People often claim that they need such and

such. It is always wise to check whether they only express their wants and wishes, whims and fancies, as needs.

• There is big difference what people really need and what they claim, that they need. In 19th

century too many ladies claimed that they need hat with feathers from birds-of-paradise . They were near extinction. People may need sushi, but not those kinds of sushi that is causing extinction of tuna fish species

• Needs: basic needs and real needs: • Brundtland’ comitttee (1987). Sustainable

development was defined as development that do not threaten future generations chances of having their (basic) needs met.

• Åhlberg (1997): All organisms have real needs, Their optimal satisfaction leads to flourishing life, a good life, wellbeing.

• Quality can be defined in relation to real needs (Åhlberg 1997).

• There are possibilities of creating win-win solutions for all humankind, and biosphere, for creating optimal satisfaction of real needs.

• The whole person is learning as a thinking, feeling (emotional) and acting whole.

• The core points in high quality learning include:

• (a_) inquiry (enquiry), inquiry based learning, scientific research type of learning in which tentative theories are created, tested and continually improved.

• (b_) personal and cumulative, collaborative knowledge building and learning. (cf. Darwin)

• (c_) dialogue for truth and sustainable future.

• Emotions are extremely important for meaningful life, good life, mental health.

• Emotions are integrating overall evaluations of situations. They ought to be tested both empirically in lived life, and theoretically in thinking. The overall evaluations may be wrong, often partially true.

• Care, love between spouses and children, over generations including elderly people, attachment, are important in home. Care taking can be hard work. E.g. taking care of ALS patient at home.

• Schumacher (1979, 3 - 4): In good work (1) necessary goods and services are produced, (2) skills are used and improved and (3) other persons are served and cooperated with.

• Åhlberg (1998, applying Hutchinson and Hutchinson (1997): Enlightened and motivated persons are needed to promote sustainable development. People become enlightened by continual learning and education and they become motivated in good organizations and good societies.

• According to empirical research of Csikszentmihalyi (1975 - 2006 ) those people are the happiest who work at top region of their capabilities (competences, abilities) and who serve wider community at the same time.

• Those who search instant pleasures mostly become disappointed.

• Those who are striving for long term gratifications have best chances for flourishing, good life, eudaimonia.

• Good life: love, work, flow, optimal satisfaction of real needs.

• Good home, good relationship between people who love each other and live together.

• A practical “definition” of love: How do I know, if I love another person or whether s/he loves me? A practical indicator of love is as follows: When you feel happy, good, relaxed, near a person, you know that you love that person. Together, interacting you create good life, and happiness to both of you. Near her/him life is worth living. You feel that you are at home.

• IF we want to care of all family, relatives, friends and community: A good option is focusing on nature, gardening, birding, fishing, butterflies etc. NatureGate online approach is useful tool: http://www.naturegate.net

• IF we want to promote deep and meaningful learning: It is personal learning, the whole person is learning in thinking, feeling and acting.

• IF we want to promote cumulative knowledge building and learning both personally and professionally, individually and for humankind, using modern ICT, its free tools like e.g. Facebook and CmapTools.