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On the Nature of Ecological Paradox pp 45–53Cite as

The Ecclesiastes Factor

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Abstract

At what point (precisely) did humans begin destroying their surroundings? One could take any number of measures of human catalytics to formulate a sustainability quotient, such as the year in which assembly-line slaughter of animals began to shape public perception of animals as mere units of production. But the number of such correlations that form the basis for grasping the entirety of human ecological paradox is far beyond calculation, a fourth wall of dramatic inexplicability. From Ecclesiastes to Aristotle to contemporary philosophical concepts of metaphysics and idealism, we examine the myriad inputs that would be necessary to formulate a realistic approach to understanding the full ecological extent of the human presence.

Keywords

  • Ecclesiastes
  • Anthropocene
  • Dogen
  • William Gilpin
  • Linnaeus

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Fig. 6.1
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Notes

  1. 1.

    Eric Rignot, Jérémie Mouginot, Bernd Scheuchl, Michiel van den Broeke, Melchior J. van Wessem, and Mathieu Morlighem. Four decades of Antarctic Ice Sheet mass balance from 1979–2017. PNAS, January 14, 2019 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1812883116; See https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dYRcFPI2hhs. Accessed February 13, 2020.

  2. 2.

    https://wwf.panda.org/knowledge_hub/all_publications/living_planet_report_2018/

  3. 3.

    Crutzen, P. J. (2002). “Geology of mankind”. Nature. 415 (6867): 23. Bibcode:2002Natur.415...23C. doi:https://doi.org/10.1038/415023a. PMID 11780095

  4. 4.

    Michael, Samways (1999). “Translocating fauna to foreign lands: here comes the Homogenocene”(PDF). Journal of Insect Conservation. doi:https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1017267807870

  5. 5.

    Steffen, Will; Grinevald, Jacques; Crutzen, Paul; McNeill, John (2011). “The Anthropocene: conceptual and historical perspectives” (PDF). Phil. Trans. R. Soc. A. 369: 843; See also, Crutzen, Steffen (Winter 2017). “The Anthropocene: Are Humans Now Overwhelming the Great Forces of Nature”. Ambio. Vol. 36, No. 8: 619.

  6. 6.

    See “Was the Anthropocene anticipated?” Clive Hamilton, Jacques Grinevald, First Published January 28, 2015. https://doi.org/10.1177/2053019614567155, The Anthropogenic Review, Sage Journals, https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/2053019614567155?journalCode=anra#, Accessed December 3, 2018; See also, Modifications of the External Aspects of Organic Nature Produced by Man”s Interference. London, 1880.

  7. 7.

    Firth, C.H.; Rait, R.S., eds. (1911). “September 1642: Order for Stage-plays to cease”. Acts and Ordinances of the Interregnum, 1642–1660. London: His Majesty’s Stationery Office. hdl:2027/inu.30000046036137. OL 6559925M.

  8. 8.

    See the superb translation by Arnold Kotler and Kazuaki Tanahashi, https://www.upaya.org/uploads/pdfs/MountainsRiversSutra.pdf, Accessed December 5, 2018

  9. 9.

    Masse und Macht, Chaasen Verlag, Hamburg, 1960; Victor Gollancz Ltd and Viking Press, 1962.

  10. 10.

    Translated by Manfred Hecker, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, U.K., 1984.

  11. 11.

    See The Holy Bible According To The Authorized Version with The Marginal Readings And Parallel References Printed At Length And The Commentaries Of Henry And Scott Condensed By the Rev. John McFarlane, London, Glasgow, William Collins, 1862, Ecclesiastes, Chapters I-XII, pp. 680–689.

  12. 12.

    See Cline’s book, Jerusalem Besieged – From Ancient Canaan to Modern Israel, Ann Arbor, University of Michigan Press, 2005, https://www.press.umich.edu/164087/jerusalem_besieged, Accessed December 5, 2018.

  13. 13.

    See Taagepera, Rein (1979). “Size and Duration of Empires: Growth-Decline Curves, 600 B.C. to 600 A.D.” Social Science History. 3 (3/4): 121. doi:https://doi.org/10.2307/1170959.

  14. 14.

    By Ludwig Wittgenstein, With an Introduction by Bertrand Russell, Harcourt, Brace & Company, Inc., New York and London: Kegan Paul, Trench, Trubner & Co., Ltd., 1922.

  15. 15.

    p. 189.

  16. 16.

    Oxford University Press, New York and London, 1975.

  17. 17.

    ibid., p.227.

  18. 18.

    Weidenfeld & Nicolson, London, 2003.

  19. 19.

    ibid., p.11.

  20. 20.

    ibid., p.15.

  21. 21.

    ibid., p. 19.

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  1. Dancing Star Foundation, Los Angeles, CA, USA

    Michael Charles Tobias & Jane Gray Morrison

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  1. Michael Charles Tobias
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  2. Jane Gray Morrison
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Tobias, M.C., Morrison, J.G. (2021). The Ecclesiastes Factor. In: On the Nature of Ecological Paradox. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-64526-7_6

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