My intention in this book is to draw attention to the enormous intellectual power of biology to assist economics to gain a better understanding of its theoretical and analytical foundations in relation to biological resources and the environment. According to Theodosius Dobzhansky “ Biology is perhaps, intellectually the most satisfying and inspiring science.” My aim is not to suggest solutions for the myriad of abstruse problems arising from the impact of socioeconomic processes on the environment. Rather, it is an attempt to put forward a synthesis of biology and economics and to seize the opportunity provided by the study of complex systems and the concept of interdisciplinarity for the investigation of complex non-linear interactive problems resulting in the interface of the biological and socioeconomic systems. No true understanding of the economy-environment interface problems will be possible without a real understanding of biology as the foundational science of socioeconomic activity.
The industrialised developed world is being challenged as to its wasteful mode of existence. At the same time the underdeveloped world is yearning for the same high standard of living to be achieved but at a faster pace and unfortunately in a more wasteful way. What is certain is that both have to reappraise their socioeconomic priorities but also, and more importantly, reappraise their environmental and biological priorities. It seems that geopolitics will have to be complemented by geoeconomics …
The study of problems at the economy-environment interface has evolved piecemeal during the past several decades as witnessed by the evolution of the disciplines of Natural Resource economics, Environmental Economics and Ecological economics. Partial solutions have been presented and palliatives have been suggested but these have often caused more confusion. The economy-environment paradigms have evolved as a reaction … An innovative methodology in the form of holism and interdisciplinarity is required. Ecological Economics based on the neoclassical economic theory can only advocate more economic growth as the solution which will require more energy and therefore more contamination and resource dissipation thus debilitating even more the biological foundation of humanity’s existence.
While I am very much in favour of scientific pluralism nevertheless, I believe the time is now right for coalescing of the ideas developed in these disciplines in the new science of Bioeconomics: Biological Economics. Bioeconomics is proposed as a rigorous scientific discipline to rise to one of the great challenges facing Humankind in the twenty-first century. That is how to overcome the neoliberal paradigm based on the market model of competition, individualism and profit motive and to replace it with a paradigm that has as its cornerstone co-operation, synthesis and biocentrism. After all “competition brings out the best in products but the worst in men.”
If we believe in the unity of nature, holism and synergism as I do while at the same time giving reductionism its fair share we should try to synthesise all the theoretical and practical knowledge gained by social and natural scientists pertaining to economy-environment problems. The result would be the truly integrated science of Bioeconomics encompassing the two most significant aspects of human existence for the long duration; that is its biological endeavour to propagate and its socioeconomic activity to ensure its survival and prosperity for the short duration. Bioeconomics is an attempt to bridge “ the two cultures” caused by the cultural dualities present in all aspects of human existence. Such dualities as conspicuous consumption versus conservation; competition versus cooperation; individuality versus community spirit and materialism versus spirituality are greatly responsible for the conflict between ourselves , with other species