Living systems in the 19th and 20th century

• Reductionist : Breaking Down Big Systems

  This approach became dominant and advanced our knowledge of organisms
• Development of Biology Disciplines

  • Biology's Origins: Natural History
  • Transition to a formal field in the 18th century
  • In-depth exploration of living things (Microbiology, Anatomy, Taxonomy, etc.)
• Exploring New Environments and Discovering Evolution

  • 16th and 17th centuries: European exploration and learning from colonies
  • Interest in diverse plants and animals from different regions
  • Charles Darwin's theory of evolution in the 19th century
  • Expansion of scientific expeditions to study species diversity
  • Emergence of Ecology: Studying interactions among living things and their surroundings
• The Emergence of Environmental Science

  • Late 19th century: Focus on ecosystems and energy flows
  • Mid-20th century: Systems ecology and understanding matter and energy in nature
  • Addressing environmental threats: "The Silent Spring" by Rachel Carson in 1962
  • Formation of Environmental Science: Integrating biology, ecology, geology, chemistry, ethics, and social issues
• Limits of mechanistic and reductionist paradigms

  • Over the past two hundred years, scientific knowledge has grown
  • created tools to help us understand the world better, expanding what our senses can do
  • found new ways to create energy, like machines powered by coal, petroleum, and electricity
• The problem with Cartesian science...

  • Singular focus on desired outcomes caused unforeseen consequences to the environment and human societies.
  • Many people think this utilitarian view of nature is why we're having so many environmental problems today.