Human ecology and the quality of life

Abstract

In all human situations there is a constant interplay between variables of different kinds — physical, chemical, biotic, social, cultural and economic. We refer to the study of patterns of interaction between these different components of human situations as ‘human ecology’. It is suggested that human ecology, as so defined, can contribute significantly to the understanding of problems relating to the quality of life. It can do this by drawing attention to the full spectrum of aspects of experience that directly relate to the quality of life, and by improving understanding of the interrelationship between these experiential factors on the one hand, and economic, technical, environmental and societal conditions on the other. Human ecology, however, is a relatively immature field of academic endeavour. One of the first tasks of human ecologists is to work towards the development of a theoretical framework which can provide a sound basis for studying interactions between different aspects of reality in human ecosystems, and which can provide insight into the principles governing their interaction. The conceptual approach must be one that assures that, whichever aspects of human ecosystems are under consideration, full consideration is given to their implications for the actual life experience of people. This paper includes a summary of some of the concepts on which our own approach to the ecological study of human settlements and the quality of life of their inhabitants is based. We suggest, for example, that knowledge of the evolutionary history of mankind is relevant to our interest in the effects of environmental influences on human health and well-being. It is emphasized that there is no relationship in human affairs between quantifiability and importance, and consequently any conceptual approach to the study of human ecosystems and of human well-being must be such that full attention is paid to both tangible and intangible aspects of situations and of human experience. An essential aspect of the conceptual approach summarized in the paper is that it recognizes two orientations or dimensions in the study of human ecosystems. The first orientation is referred to as ‘the total environment’. The study of the total environment is fundamentally similar to system ecology in biological science, and involves consideration of the components of the ‘system as a whole’ and their dynamic interrelationships. It differs from biological system ecology in that the systems under investigation contain, in addition to inorganic and biotic components and processes, the components and processes of human culture. The second orientation is referred to as ‘human experience’. It is based on recognition of the fact that each individual human being experiences his own personal life conditions, which are influenced by the properties of the total environment, and which, in turn, are the main determinants of his level of health and well-being. Ultimately it must be the people who make up society who decide what is, and what is not, important to them in the quality of life. The role of academic institutions, and of science and the arts (including human ecology, which is both scientific and humanistic), is to communicate relevant knowledge and information concerning the full range of aspects of human experience pertaining to the quality of life, and concerning the interrelationships between these and the societal, technological, economic and ecological characteristics of the total environment. That is to say, academic institutions have a responsibility to assist by elucidating the nature of the options available, and by improving understanding of the implications of different societal and economic policies for the quality of life of all sections of the population.