SCIENCE 11
 is holistic –cannot be compartmentalized and cannot be separated from
Module 1: PERSPECTIVE ON LIVING SYSTEMS
 energy, matter, how we became part of the molecules
Complex Systems Perspective
Living Systems in Oral Traditions
 humans are dependent for water, food, shelter and clothing
 with the absence of writing in order to pass knowledge to the next
generation it was transmitted:
o orally = telling stories and music
o experientially = direct teaching of the younger gen
 elders are esteemed for their knowledge among them are required to
perform special roles:
o the storyteller = ability to tell stories
o the hunter = knowledge of wildfire
o the gatherer = knowledge of fruits
o the farmer = knowledge of seasons
 the tribe communicates their holistic approach of their place in the living
systems
 the natural world = central tenet of their lives and worldviews
 it is viewed as one interconnected aspect of the whole.
Interconnectedness equates responsibility to care for
Indigenous Knowledge, Systems And Practices
UNESCO
Traditional ecological knowledge:
 developed rich sets of experiences and explanations relating to the
environment they live on
 local knowledge that is unique to a culture or society.
 passed from gen to gen usually by word.
Indigenous people:
 have broad knowledge of how to live sustainably.
But formal education system disrupted the practical everyday life aspects of I.K
and ways of learning, replacing them with abstract knowledge and academic ways
of learning. There is a grave risk that much indigenous knowledge is being lost and
along with it, valuable knowledge about ways of living sustainably.
Indigenous knowledge: 6 principles
 practical common sense, based on teachings and experience passed on
from gen to gen
 environment and the relationship between things
the people
 authority system, sets out rules governing the use of resources
 wisdom is using knowledge in good ways
 credibility to people
Indigenous knowledge: benefits of respecting I.K
 I.P who own and live it
 all other people around the world who can learn lessons for living
sustainably from it
 earth would be treated more carefully if I.K and values were followed
more widely
 bio cultural knowledge - knowledge that is rooted both in the natural
 environment and what is readily available, at the same time grounded
on the culture – values and norms -- of the people who hold it.
A SPIRITUAL RELATIONSHIP WITH THE LAND: for the tribe land cannot be
owned by anyone but rather it is for all which is held captive by a certain
community for right of use.
NATURAL REMEDIES AND MEDICINES: indigenous knowledge may help them to
discover important new cures for diseases, which are locally available, culturally
acceptable and cheaper than imported drugs.
SUSTAINABLE RESOURCE MANAGEMENT: i.p today use the resources available
without depleting them. They use their intimate knowledge of plants, soils, animals
and climates and seasons not to exploit nature but coexist alongside it.
Living Systems From Antiquity To The Renaissance
The human connection to the gods – the Priestly Class – were the sole
interpreters of the gods’ desires, such that, they had exclusive access to the stored
knowledge and they were the only ones authorized to interpret them. Thus,
knowledge was in the hands of the priests and they controlled much political
power, including the surplus production.
It follows that literacy allowed for the expansion of collective knowledge
beyond the Storytellers’ collective memories, however well developed those
memories were. It allowed for the development of more complicated trains of logic,
of more abstraction and thus analytical knowledge, reflection and introspection,
which were very difficult to keep track of in story, song, or art.
Sumerians and their Knowledge of Biology (4500 – 1750 BCE)
 knowledge were kept in clay tablets
 empirical and magical belief system
o some diseases were attributed to demon possession
 o sacrifice of animals would cure this possession through the
transmission of the demon from the afflicted person to the lamb
as a sign of compassion to the family
Greek Philosophers and their Theories (800 – 300 BCE)
 the legacy of Greek philosophical inquiry resonated with the most
important questions of human existence
 Greek philosophers were noted for the treatises that eloquently explain
not only their observations, hypotheses, and conclusions about the world
and Man’s place in it, their works also show in detail the methods by
which they obtained these insights
 These studies in natural sciences were much utilized in practical ventures
such as medicine, astronomy, and engineering
Medieval Europe and the Golden Age of the Islamic Civilization
 feudal and hierarchical
 when surplus was few, most of the population was concerned in the
production of food and of goods that were used in the local communities
 Monarchy and Church were powerful
 monastic schools were important in terms of education, governance, and
practical applications of astronomy and medicine
 Church had great reach in terms of territory and ideological influence
 Islamic scientists and mathematicians developed criticisms of Greek
assertions
 University – learning centers outside the monasteries
The European Enlightenment: The hypothetico-deductive method and
democratizing knowledge
 Aristotelian thought was the dominant view
 Aristotle’s “Great Chain of Being”- major organizing principle and
foundation of the emerging science of biology
 Cartesian hypothetico-deductive methodology became accepted
 Evolution of living things were considered
 Theory on the Transmutation of Life was raised by Lamarck
 Advances in optics allowed for the visualization and discovery of
microscopic entities advances in chemistry eventually allowed for
analytical studies of phlogiston
Living Systems In The 19th And 20th Century
Reductionist Science and the growth of Biology
 Scientific Method was accepted
 Biology (natural history) branched into sub disciplines: Anatomy,
Microbiology, Genetics, Taxonomy, Cell Biology, Embryology,
Biochemistry, Physiology, and Molecular Biology
 Darwin published his theory of evolution
 Ecology was established by the late 19th century,
 Environmental Science, includes traditional science disciplines such as
biology, ecology, geology and chemistry and combines in issues such as
environmental ethics and social issues
Limits of mechanistic and reductionist paradigms
 The Cartesian analytical framework has led to the use of industrial
practices that were very efficient in bringing forth its desired outcomes.
However, the singular focus on desired outcomes has led to many
unforeseen consequences to the environment and to human societies.
These severely lack safeguards that maintain balance and ensure the
sustainability of the industry and the environment of which it is a part. For
many advocates, it is this utilitarian view of Nature that has led to the
environmental crises that we experience today.
In this module, we discussed how Nature and the origins of Life were
perceived by human communities over time: from indigenous and traditional ways
of viewing nature to the analytically powerful western Enlightenment paradigms, to
the complex systems perspective we have today. We started with myths and
legends and how orality brings metaphorical and embodied forms of knowledge
and transmission. With the creation of the written word, the compilation of
knowledge changed not only in form but also in content: abstraction and longer
philosophical reasoning could be reproduced 19 with great fidelity over time and
space. It is through written documents transmitted by ancient scribes and
translators that we know of the great Greek Philosophers and their theories today.
Over time, technology developed and greater reliance on mechanical
means extending human senses to verify information were found, leading to
changes in paradigms and ways by which humans perceive themselves with respect
to Nature. Accelerated advances in understanding discrete processes of nature led
to greater capacity to change the environment. However, the loss of balance and
reciprocity with the (re)generative forces of nature led to the current
environmental crises.
Present day environmental consciousness in this historical context can be
seen as a cyclical return from holistic to mechanistic paradigms and back again.
Human communities will always endeavor to create and refine models for
understanding the processes of nature, and it is the hope of this course that we can
use our understanding to further increase not only our conceptual knowledge of
how we fit in the cycles of living systems. We are then called on to recognize,
respect, and care not only for our limited selves in our limited space/time, but for
the whole of the living system of which we are a part. We need to consider our
increased capacities to influence the environment, learn from the lessons of the
past, and work towards our common future.