History and Philosophy of Ecology

This collection emerges from a 2013 conference on cultural exchange in late medieval Britain, Ireland, and Italy, part of an ongoing project devoted to reception studies. For readers of this journal, interest is likely to focus on three central chapters dedicated to the social and economic history of Italians in late medieval England. The highlight is Helen Bradley's chapter, which makes use of a broad range of source materials including tax and customs records, bank records, and merchant correspondence. Then as now, crossing borders was a complex matter: brokers had to be found, taxes paid, licences obtained, and transport arranged. Relations were sometimes tense: Italians might face hostility from locals, and the anti-alien legislation of the fifteenth century further complicated matters. Although only a minority of Italians sought denization as a way of overcoming such barriers, citizenship offered a middle route that was taken up by many. Despite the background of hostility, Italians often forged close relations of credit and trust with their English customers. Exchange was also facilitated by the use of bank transfers: 129 Londoners had accounts with the Borromei bank in the 1430s. Italian merchants often married English women, and they took young Englishmen into their households to teach them the trade. Nor was contact confined to London: although the Italian community was clustered around Austin Friars in the City, merchants also had to travel out to provincial fairs to do business with suppliers. The paper presents a fascinating study of the practical aspects of doing business for Italian merchants at a variety of levels. A similar approach is taken in Bart Lambert's chapter, with a specific focus on the Lucchese community in London, drawing on fragmentary evidence from London, Bruges, and Lucca. Like other Italian merchants, the Lucchese exported English wool and cloth, but they specialized in the import of luxury silk cloths and in banking. Close relations were maintained with the community in Bruges, and many firms had employees split between the two cities. Again, some merchants found it convenient to take up formal denization, or purchased citizenship. Focusing on the Gigli family in particular, the chapter shows how merchant wealth, knowledge, and contacts could feed into successful careers for children, as in the case of the son of a Lucchese merchant who later became papal nuncio to England.

Peut-on identifier les critères de scientificité uniquement à partir de l’observation des pratiques et des énoncés de ces individus particuliers que nous appelons les « savants » (dans un langage plus courant, les chercheurs professionnels), ce qui justifierait le recours systématique à une rupture épistémologique entre les représentations du monde partagées par ces savants et celles des individus ordinaires (ordinaires dans le sens de non-savants), ou bien sont-ils également repérables dans certains rapports que ces individus ordinaires entretiennent avec le monde physique et social ? Je vais soutenir ici le second terme de l’alternative, en inscrivant mon propos dans un cadre théorique scientiste, celui de la version dite faible du scientisme (Mizrahi 2017). Selon cette version, la science, sous la forme soit de la pensée savante, soit de ce que j’appelle la pensée sachante, n’est pas la seule manière d’appréhender le monde physique et social (songeons par exemple à l’art, à l’expérience esthétique ou à certaines expériences mystiques), mais elle est celle qui nous rapproche le plus de sa structure, c’est-à-dire des choses telles qu’elles sont. À ce titre, elle nous donne un avantage adaptatif (Renn 2020), la connaissance nous permettant de transformer progressivement nos conditions d’existence en réponse à différentes pressions sélectives. Je développerai dans cet article trois arguments. Premièrement, au cours de notre évolution, la sélection naturelle des modes de connaissance d’intérêt vital a doté notre espèce d’un cerveau scientifique, capable d’une pensée sachante, animée par le goût du savoir et de la découverte. Des êtres qui ont acquis une connaissance appropriée du monde dans lequel ils vivaient, parce qu’ils en avaient une représentation soit adéquate, soit utile (Lotto 2017) ou les deux à la fois, ont eu un plus grand succès reproductif que ceux qui étaient dépourvus de cette pensée sachante. La pensée savante, elle, s’est développée bien longtemps après la pensée sachante, sous une forme institutionnalisée, formalisée et méthodique. Deuxièmement, cet équipement cognitif panhumain est performant pour appréhender non seulement le monde physique mais aussi le monde social. Troisièmement, l’efficience de la pensée sachante est de plus en plus reconnue aujourd’hui dans le monde académique et dans un grand éventail de disciplines, notamment sous la forme de la science dite participative ou citoyenne. De ces trois arguments, je tirerai la conclusion suivante : même si la pensée sachante, tout comme la pensée savante, est exposée à de nombreux biais cognitifs, sa capacité à rendre compte suivant un processus asymptotique mais de manière appropriée de la structure du monde physique et social devrait inciter les chercheurs d’une part à procéder avec plus de parcimonie à la rupture avec le sens commun, d’autre part à reconnaître que les « sachants », dans certaines conditions, peuvent être considérés comme des co-auteurs de leurs travaux.

This chapter explores the largely uncharted territory of Soviet plant philosophy, proposing it as a new lens through which to view socialist culture and thought after the October Revolution. It introduces the concept of 'morphological materialism' as a vegetal alternative to the state doctrine of dialectical materialism (diamat), which dominated official philosophy in the Soviet Union from the 1930s onwards. My aim is to sow the first seeds of a new mapping of Soviet philosophy from the point of view of plants, suggesting that this can disrupt the monolithic image of Stalinist dogma and state ideology that still prevails in historiography.

L’uomo distrugge la natura. La denuncia di Plinio: un ecocriticismo ante litteram? (nat. 18, 1-5; 33, 1-3; 36, 1-4). In E. Falaschi, S. Cecere (eds.), with the collaboration of V. Naas, G. Adornato, W. Wolkenhauer, Plinius oggi | heute | ajourd’oui. Un’antologia commentata della Naturalis historia di Plinio il Vecchio, Loveno di Menaggio: Villa Vigoni Verlag, 2025, 193-202.

Today, urbanism and planning are engaged in a productive alliance with the natural sciences, which has led to the global rise of ecological forms of urbanism. Landscape readings of the territory are being used to rethink large-scale planning policies in urban regions worldwide, but are ignoring the historical and political dynamics that underscore urbanisation processes. Through an analysis of contemporary and historical design proposals to rethink the urban landscape of Brussels, this chapter explores the role of history in critically assessing contemporary landscape design proposals. It proposes a research agenda in landscape planning that explicitly mobilises a ‘history of the present’ to analyse ecological urbanism as a socio-political project.

The niche has been central to ecology for most of the discipline's history, yet there have been few attempts by philosophers to work out the ontology of the niche. A challenge is that there is a plurality of seemingly inconsistent definitions of the niche in ecology. This paper characterizes the population-level ecological niche by distinguishing among niche concepts, niche models, and the niche as a phenomenon. I argue that "niche concepts" should be interpreted as theoretical frameworks or modelling strategies. I also argue that there is a unified niche phenomenon underlying the seemingly heterogeneous models and definitions. The plurality of niche concepts in ecology should be seen as an expected consequence of the nature of modelling complex systems.

Ecological neutral theory has been controversial as an alternative to niche theory for explaining community structure. Neutral theory, which explains community structure in terms of ecological drift, is frequently charged with being unrealistic, but commentators have usually not provided an account of theory or model realism. In this paper, I propose a framework for comparing the "realism" or accuracy of alternative theories within a domain with respect to the extent to which the theories abstract and idealize. Using this framework I argue, contrary to most previous commentators, that neutral and niche theories are similarly realistic. Realism cannot provide a basis for accepting or rejecting either type of theory; instead, community ecologists should continue working with a plurality of models. While theoretical unification may become possible, we should treat a plurality of complementary, partial models as the expected situation within community ecology.

doctrines. The third volume of Empiriomonism contains Bogdanov's response to Aksel'rod's article. It takes the form of a long footnote with advice on how to conduct a polemic: before discussing philosophy one should find out something about the discipline; before criticising a given work, it is good practice to read it; it is inadvisable to distort the words and ideas of an opponent, even if it makes the business of refutation easier, because the opponent might find time to expose the subterfuge (p. 299). In later years, in light of all the abuse that had been heaped on him, Bogdanov could speak of Aksel'rod as the most principled of his critics. David Rowley is to be congratulated for translating a challenging text into clear idiomatic English that makes it possible to follow Bogdanov's train of thought. Instead of an editor's introduction he has included a brief autobiography of Bogdanov and a survey of Bogdanov's intellectual legacy, written shortly after his death in 1928, by the economist and philosopher V. A. Bazarov, one of Bogdanov's closest friends. Bazarov's article provides an admirable introduction not only to Empiriomonism, but also to the works which preceded it, mentioned above, and to Tektology, the universal science of organisation, which followed it. As Bazarov mentions, one of the concepts with a great variety of applications in Tektology is the 'law of the leasts', the fact that people and things take the path of least resistance. This has certainly applied to the way Bogdanov's ideas have been treated over the years. Instead of investigating what Bogdanov actually wrote, verdicts stemming from Lenin and Plekhanov have been repeated uncritically. This was understandable so long as Bogdanov's works remained inaccessible. With this translation of Empiriomonism, this need no longer be the case.

Marxist thought and practice have always centrally focused on the analysis of systems, things, and (technological) infrastructures-along with the possibilities inherent in alternative systems organized by collective ownership and state planning. These discussions have gained renewed currency in the digital age. To explore these questions today means to elaborate a Marxist epistemology of systems that goes beyond the old dichotomy of historical vs. structural analysis. In this special issue, we want to investigate the relation of Marxism and systems science, in history, theory and practice. We construe systems science broadly, with a particular emphasis on those conceptions which developed in the Marxist tradition with a dialectical approach. Additionally, we understand there to be a longstanding relationship between systems theory, political economy, organisation, computational means, theories of economic planning, and global social history. https://marxismandsciences.org/call-for-papers/#Issue8 For guidelines see: https://marxismandsciences.org/guideline-for-authors/

Ez az írás egy átfogó szemléleti tájképet rajzol meg a Buddhának a metafizikához való általános viszonyáról, illetve a metafizikával kapcsolatos egyes kérdéseket illetően, és ezáltal azt a hermeneutikai
mezőt vázolja fel, amelyben elhelyezhetők a Buddha egyes konkrét mondatai és gondolatai. A metafizikai hagyomány legfőbb vonásai az ontológia, a teológia-kozmológia és az antropológia. A Buddha e hagyományon kívül állva a negatív ontológia szemléletét képviselte, a létezés hierarchikus felépítését nem teológiai rendként értelmezte és a negatív antropológia álláspontján volt. Mindennek kifejtésekor számos nyelvi stratégiát alkalmazott, egyebek mellett a katafatikus és az
apofatikus nyelvhasználatot. A metafizika Buddha által adott bírálata átfogja a transzcendencia kérdéseit, a szubsztancia elleni érveket és a szabad akarat kérdéskörét.

This paper draws an overall perspectival landscape of the Buddha’s general attitude to metaphysics and to particular issues related to metaphysics, and thus sketches the hermeneutical field in which the Buddha’s specific sentences and thoughts can be situated. The main features of the metaphysical tradition are ontology, theology-cosmology and anthropology. The Buddha, standing outside this tradition, took a negative ontological view, interpreted the hierarchical structure of existence as a non-theological order and took the position of negative anthropology. In explaining this, he employed a number of linguistic strategies, including the use of cataphatic and apophatic language. The Buddha’s critique of metaphysics encompasses issues of transcendence, arguments against substance and free will.

This paper examines turn-of-the-century socialist utopianism, focusing on two examples from France and Russia: architect Tony Garnier's An Industrial City, a theoretical utopian socialist model city seen as a precursor to modern functionalist architecture, and polymath writer Alexander Bogdanov's novel Red Star, which imagines an advanced socialist society on Mars.

La pensée géographique allemande aux XVIIIe et XIXe siècles Si la géographie entretient des liens forts avec la philosophie depuis sa fondation dans l'Antiquité, les liens entre ces deux disciplines se resserrent au moment de sa constitution comme science systématique et de son institutionnalisation académique entre 1750 et 1900. Ils sont particulièrement tangibles dans l'espace allemand qui semble jouer un rôle clé dans l'essor de la pensée géographique européenne. Kant qui enseigne la géographie physique sa vie durant, voit dans cette discipline une propédeutique à la « connaissance du monde » et à la philosophie. Carl Ritter, l'un des cofondateurs de la Gesellschaft für Erdkunde zu Berlin en 1828, proclame que la géographie, tout comme sa discipline-soeur, l'histoire, serait simplement « contrainte de philosopher ». Dans un contexte politique et colonial qui marque fortement les voyages d'exploration et les traités académiques des géographes, ces derniers débattent de questions qui semblent dépasser les savoirs traditionnels sur l'espace et relever davantage de la philosophie ou des sciences humaines et sociales au sens plus large.

Buckminster Fuller's experiences in the Navy became a model for his ecological design projects and suggestions for the global management of 'Spaceship Earth'. Inspired by technocratic ideas of the 1930s, Fuller envisaged, in the 1970s, an elitist world without politics, in which designers were at the helm, steering the planet out of its environmental crises.

In this fine study, Marion Grau investigates the spiritual culture of pilgrimage in Norway, including the surfacing of old rituals that reflect on the very origins of Christianity in the nation. Among pilgrims, a new sacred geography and identity has emerged, she argues, which has fostered informal beliefs that defy the binary between sacred and secular, spirituality and religion. Pilgrimages are popular. Most famous, perhaps, is the Camino de Santiago with hundreds of thousands of people walking for weeks from cities as far away as Seville, Lisbon, and Lyon. These walks may cross national boundaries and have thus been promoted by the European Union as one of many ways to socially refigure and unite Europe at little cost. For local businesses, pilgrims may entail guests in faraway hostels and bistros. Progressive church leaders see pilgrimages as an ecumenical project that connects different branches of Christianity, while also appealing to the young. They may even foster respect for God's creations and each other, as walking together cultivates proximity to landscapes, democratic values, and perhaps also a renewed sense of belonging to a congregation. Grau walks the reader through these arguments and much more while focusing on Norway. Protestantism has long dominated Norwegian spiritual life, and Martin Luther was no fan of pilgrimages. '"Let every man stay in his own parish, where he finds more than in all the shrines of pilgrimage"', he once argued (p. 57). No wonder, then, that conservative-leaning Protestant theologians are skeptical of the new phenomenon. At the same time, churches have become increasingly empty with priests worried about the spread of secularism. Perhaps pilgrimages can renew the parish and convert people to the Christian faith? The most famous convert in Norwegian history is Olav Haraldsson, a gruesome Viking King that ruled a substantial part of Norway between 1015 and 1028. According to the myth-which is not entirely fictional-he christened the nation, and as a result, was later made into a Saint. Known as St. Olav, his life serves as the chief origin story of Norwegian Christendom. The country's most important cathedral, The Nidaros in Trondheim, was even erected over his tomb. As a chief destination for pilgrimages, the tomb of St. Olav serves as an homage to the convert and as a place harboring both the origin and a new spiritual beginning for the nation. He was 'an ideal convert, moving from Viking bloodthirst to Christian charity, serving perhaps as a mirror for the corporate journey of the population', Grau argues (p. 10). Indeed, her analysis of the various rituals of St. Olav within a

The contribution of deterministic and stochastic processes to species coexistence is widely debated. With the introduction of powerful statistical techniques, we can now better characterise different sources of uncertainty when quantifying niche differentiation. The theoretical literature on the effect of stochasticity on coexistence, however, is often ignored by field ecologists because of its technical nature and difficulties in its application. In this review, we examine how different sources of variability in population dynamics contribute ...

Cet article interroge la façon dont les êtres et les milieux se composent et ce faisant produisent expérience et apprentissage. Il participe d'un étayage de la mésologie de l'apprenance (Cristol, 2022) comme contribution à une épistémologie critique des sciences de la formation. Dans une première partie, il convoque des arguments philosophiques, sociologiques, écologiques, et géographiques, car la rencontre d'habiter, vivre et apprendre constitue l'essence de la complexité et de l'apprentissage humain. Pour satisfaire l'ambition épistémologique et pratique, la notion de mésologie (étude des milieux) sera d'abord présentée, puis retracée depuis le XIXème siècle. Dans une deuxième partie, la mésologie sera abordée selon l'angle du couplage de l'être et du milieu. Le concept d'anthropocène de Crutzen (2006) consacre le constat d'un dérèglement des rapports entre humains et milieux et incite à repenser ce couplage en particulier dans nos façons d'apprendre. Dans la troisième et dernière partie des questions sont posées relativement à la refondation d'une épistémologie des sciences de la formation basée sur une vision holistique plutôt qu'un découpage analytique exclusif et réducteur. La fin de l'article ouvre vers une nouvelle perspective pédagogique régénératrice inspirée du biomimétisme et plus respectueuse du vivant. Summary This article examines how beings and "milieux" come together, thereby generating experiences and learning. It contributes to the foundation of the "mesology of learning" (Cristol, 2022) as a contribution to a critical epistemology of educational sciences. In the first part, it brings together philosophical, sociological, ecological, and geographical arguments, as the intersection of dwelling, living, and learning constitutes the essence of complexity and human learning. To meet the epistemological and practical ambition, the concept of mésologie (study of "milieu") will be initially introduced, then traced back since the 19th century. In the second part, mésologie will be approached from the perspective of the coupling of being and "milieu". The concept of the Anthropocene by Crutzen (2006) highlights the disruption in the relationships between humans and "milieux", urging a reconsideration of this coupling, especially in our ways of learning. In the third and final part, questions are raised regarding the redefinition of an epistemology of educational sciences based on a holistic vision rather than an exclusive and reductionist analytical approach. The end of the article opens up to a new regenerative pedagogical perspective inspired by biomimicry and more respectful of life. 1. A la recherche des influences pour apprendre au XIXème siècle 1.1 A la recherche d'influences internes ou externes

In this paper, we argue for a taxonomy of approaches to function based on different epistemological perspectives assumed with regard to the treatment of this central concept in the life sciences. We distinguish between etiological and organizational perspectives on function, analyzing distinct theories: Wright's selectionist etiological approach and Godfrey-Smith's modern history theory of functions, in the case of the etiological perspective; and Cummins' functional analysis and Collier's interactivist approach to function, among organizational accounts. We explain differences and similarities between these theories and the broader perspectives on function, arguing for a particular way of understanding the consensus without unity in debates about function. While explaining the accounts of function, we also deal with the relationship between this concept and other important biological concepts, such as adaptation, selection, complexity, and autonomy. We also advance an argument for the limits and prospects of the explanatory role of function in evolution. By arguing that changes in functionality are always grounded on changes in systems' organization, we show that function can never explain the origins of traits. Nevertheless, it can explain the spread of traits in populations, but only when we are dealing with functionally novel traits. Finally, we stress that organizational accounts of function are needed to understand how new functions appear by means of changes in systems' organization.

The chapter describes the influence that Merian's Metamorphosis Insectorum Surinamensium (1705) had on the art and science of Mark Catesby, as a model of a naturalist artist, a pioneer in depicting fauna on its host flora, and in its bold and visually striking compositions.

In this text, I discuss the role that a range of habits in affluent societies play in upholding as well as masking an unsustainable status quo. I show that enactivism, as a philosophical approach to the embodied and embedded mind, offers resources for bringing into focus and critically interrogating such habits of affluence and the environments enabling them. I do this in the context of a critical theory of the unfelt in society: the systematic production of lacunae of emotive concern in social collectives. The lack of proportionate affective and practical responses to the ecological crisis epitomizes this. The article starts with considerations on societal unfeeling, then reviews key elements of enactive approaches to habit, before a fuller picture of habits of affluence is developed, informed by Brand's and Wissen's concept of the imperial mode of living. Finally, two dimensions of habits of affluence are discussed in some detail, which will help flesh out a thematically expanded, politically engaged version of enactivism.

Ekolojik süksesyon, temel olarak bir bölgedeki bitki komünitelerinin bir süreç içerisindeki değişimini ifade eder. Bununla beraber ekolojik süksesyon süreci yalnızca bitki komünitelerindeki değişim değil, aynı zamanda süreç boyunca değişen anakaya ve toprak yapısı, iklim, yangın ve faunadaki değişiklikler ile
değerlendirilir. Bilim tarihinde uzun süre hâkim olmuş özcü düşünce, ekoloji bilimi ortaya çıkana kadar bu ekolojik süksesyon anlaşılamamıştır.
Özellikle 20. yüzyılın başlarında ekolojik süksesyonun bilimsel olarak çalışmaya başlamasıyla, tahrip edilmiş doğal habitatların
nasıl restore edileceğine yönelik olarak bilimsel bakış açıları dönüşüme uğramıştır. Ekolojik restorasyon çalışmaları da esas olarak doğal
ikincil süksesyon sürecinin taklit edilmesiyle klimaks evresine yönelik olarak yapılması hedeflenmektedir.

Anahtar Kelimeler: Süksesyon, geriye süksesyon, ekolojik restorasyon, habitat kaybı, bilim tarihi.

In the history of Chinese literature, the Zhuangzi authors were the first to grant a voice to diverse forms of life, among them a snake, a tree, a dead man, a divine turtle, and even the wind. What exactly is the interest of incorporating nonhuman protagonists in brief literary fictions? Was there something at stake when trying out this pioneering narrative technique, or was it just for the sake of literary innovation and entertainment? Through a detailed analysis of a set of concise narratives, this study uncovers a consistent critique of the religious institutions (chiefly divination and sacrifice), as well as the economic practices prevalent during the Warring States period. It aims to demonstrate that the Zhuangzi's comprehensive critique of the Zhou cultural order achieves its "hearability" through a recurrent use of striking dualities, including day and night, dream and wakefulness, and humans and nonhumans. A heretofore silent and passive community of living beings raises its voice and is able to challenge the well-established discourse proclaiming human sovereignty over the natural world. These voices and the themes they raise serve, among other things, as a literary strategy intended to illuminate the universality of violence and the criminal essence of human culture (wen 文).

The article examines the role of the outstanding scientist Vasily Vasilyevich Dokuchaev, whose 175th anniversary was March 1, 2021, in the development of soil ecology as a science of the biosphere class. The natural history methodology, which he introduced into scientific use, is discussed; the methodology was a milestone in the development of not only genetic soil science, but also all natural sciences.В статье рассматривается роль выдающегося ученого Василия Васильевича Докучаева, которому 1 марта 2021 года исполнилось 175 лет со дня рождения, в становлении экологии почв как науки биосферного класса. Обсуждается введенный им в научный обиход естественноисторический подход, что является вехой в развитии не только генетического почвоведения, но и всех естественных наук

В статье прослеживается ранняя история ботанических коллекций как части дворянской культуры Российской империи, которая поощряла покровителей-любителей инвестировать в экспедиции, ботанические сады и профессионалов для управления этими проектами. Молодые выпускники европейских университетов, начавшие работать в частных ботанических институтах, впоследствии могли успешно претендовать на академические должности. Обращение образцов стало ключевым элементом ботанической коллекции и основой для взаимодействия профессионалов и любителей по всему миру. Частные ботанические сады и коллекции изображаются как пространства и инструменты аристократической страсти к коллекционированию растений, властных игр элит и научной профессионализации.

En s’intéressant aux premiers travaux concernant « l’éco-gouvernementalité » aux États-Unis, ainsi qu’à l’environnementalisme malthusien de la seconde moitié du 20ème siècle, cet article vise à définir les impasses de l’antinaturalisme radical d’inspiration foucaldienne – qu’on pourrait définir comme une contestation de la réalité des êtres et des rapports décrits par les sciences de la nature – en écologie politique. Un tel antinaturalisme conduit-il à renoncer à l’ensemble des savoirs produits par l’écologie scientifique – notamment en termes de seuil et limites -, afin de défendre une écologie politique entièrement déconnectée d’objectivation des êtres et rapports naturels ? Quel est le prix politique et épistémologique de ce renoncement ? Dans quelle mesure pourrait-on se référer à Foucault pour le faire ? A l’aune de ces interrogations, cet article tente ainsi d’ouvrir une discussion avec la pensée foucaldienne autour de la question des « limites » en écologie.

Neutral community models embody the idea that individuals are ecologically equivalent, having equal fitness over all environmental conditions, and describe how the spatial dynamics and speciation of such individuals can produce a wide range of patterns of distribution, diversity, and abundance. Neutral models have been controversial, provoking a rush of tests and comments. The debate has been spurred by the suggestion that we should test mechanisms. However, the mechanisms and the spatial scales of interest have never clearly been described, and consequently, the tests have often been only peripherally relevant. At least two mechanisms are present in spatially structured neutral models. Dispersal limitation causes clumping of a species, which increases the strength of intraspecific competition and reduces the strength of interspecific competition. This may prolong coexistence and enhance local and regional diversity. Speciation is present in some neutral models and gives a donor-controlled input of new species, many of which remain rare or are short lived, but which directly add to species diversity. Spatial scale is an important consideration in neutral models. Ecological equivalence and equal fitness have implicit spatial scales because dispersal limitation and its emergent effects operate at population levels, and populations and communities are defined at a chosen spatial scale in recent neutral models; equality is measured relative to a metacommunity, and this necessitates defining the spatial scale of that metacommunity. Furthermore, dispersal has its own scales. Thorough empirical tests of neutral models will require both tests of mechanisms and pattern-producing ability, and will involve coupling theoretical models and experiments.

Until recently, the two texts written by Georges Canguilhem on ecology remained little known. Today, they are brought together in the fifth volume of his Complete Works. In Canguilhem's view, the subject of ecology is intrinsically linked to the concepts of technique and milieu, whose theoretical genealogy dates back to his early works in the 1930s. Hence these questions: Should human beings abandon techniques to restore a presumed balance with nature, or is it instead necessary to prioritize their needs over economic interests?

Indonéziában a természeti katasztrófák gyakorisága elülteti az emberekben az az élet ideiglenességének, átmenetiségének kulturális tapasztalatát. Ez a világképformáló tapasztalat alapvető eltéréseket mutat a nyugati világ egocentrikus világképével. Dolgozatom a keleti és a nyugati szemléletnek ezt a különbségét a Merapi vulkánhoz kapcsolódó mitológiai képzetek, történeti események és építészeti megoldások metszetében vizsgálja.