Towards an ecological society

2021 ◽  
pp. 141-150
Keyword(s):  
Ecological Society

Spiritual Foundations for an Ecologically Sustainable Society

1989 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 33-57
Author(s):  
Robert A. White
Keyword(s):  
Profound Change ◽  
Basic Principles ◽  
Baha'i Faith ◽  
Ecological Society ◽  
Human Endeavor ◽  
Spiritual Foundations ◽  
Cooperative Relationship ◽  
Ecologically Sustainable ◽  
Agriculture Development ◽  
Human Purpose

This paper takes a broad macroevolutionary approach to our changing relationship to Nature in light of the teachings of the Bahá’í Faith. It suggests that humanity is perhaps, after all, not a delinquent species running out of control but is at the very centre of a vast growth process clearly approaching a tremendous transition. Drawing on the teachings of the Bahá’í Faith as well as on emerging knowledge in physics, ecology, and psychology, it suggests humanity is in a process of evolving consciousness that is leading to the birth of a new planetary culture. This process subsumes the development of a mature cooperative relationship between humanity and the ecosphere that gave it birth. This examination and synthesis will be accomplished in two parts. In the first part the basic attitudes to Nature that are contained within the Bahá’í writings will be explored and explicated. The second part will examine how the emergence of an ecological consciousness is linked to basic principles of the Bahá’í Faith. These principles will be related to tenets for an ecological society being advanced by contemporary social commentators. Implicit throughout is the Bahá’í view of the balance and cohesion of material and spiritual realities in approaching every question, whether it be environmental policy, agriculture, development, health, or peace. All areas of human endeavor are interrelated and require an integrated understanding of human purpose. This paper lays no claim to being an authoritative Bahá’í position and should be regarded as a preliminary attempt of one mind to grasp some of the deeper meanings latent in the voluminous writings of the Bahá’í Faith. Through this attempt it is hoped the reader will be led to a deeper understanding of current environmental dilemmas and will be offered a vision of profound change for which the current crises may be viewed as "forcing functions." As idealistic as this may seem, in this day only the visionary is pragmatic.

scholarly journals The British Ecological Society

Nature ◽  
1941 ◽  
Vol 147 (3737) ◽  
pp. 742-742 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Ecological Society

scholarly journals The importance of motivation, weapons, and foul odors in driving encounter competition in carnivores

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
ML Allen ◽  
CC Wilmers ◽  
LM Elbroch ◽  
JM Golla ◽  
Heiko Wittmer
Keyword(s):  
Interference Competition ◽  
Current Theory ◽  
Lynx Rufus ◽  
Natural Environments ◽  
Ecological Communities ◽  
Competitive Advantages ◽  
Ecological Society ◽  
Strategic Behaviors ◽  
Species Specific ◽  
Occurrence Patterns

© 2016 by the Ecological Society of America. Encounter competition is interference competition in which animals directly contend for resources. Ecological theory predicts the trait that determines the resource holding potential (RHP), and hence the winner of encounter competition, is most often body size or mass. The difficulties of observing encounter competition in complex organisms in natural environments, however, has limited opportunities to test this theory across diverse species. We studied the outcome of encounter competition contests among mesocarnivores at deer carcasses in California to determine the most important variables for winning these contests. We found some support for current theory in that body mass is important in determining the winner of encounter competition, but we found that other factors including hunger and species-specific traits were also important. In particular, our top models were "strength and hunger" and "size and hunger," with models emphasizing the complexity of variables influencing outcomes of encounter competition. In addition, our wins above predicted (WAP) statistic suggests that an important aspect that determines the winner of encounter competition is species-specific advantages that increase their RHP, as bobcats (Lynx rufus) and spotted skunks (Spilogale gracilis) won more often than predicted based on mass. In complex organisms, such as mesocarnivores, species-specific adaptations, including strategic behaviors, aggressiveness, and weapons, contribute to competitive advantages and may allow certain species to take control or defend resources better than others. Our results help explain how interspecific competition shapes the occurrence patterns of species in ecological communities.

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