Beyond Reductionism

The field of ecological economics, now just over twenty years old, operates at the interface between the two sciences of ecology and economics and is, by definition, concerned with the interplay between two types of complex living systems. It lies, therefore by definition, beyond reductionism - that dominant scientific methodology which dates back to Descartes. In this respect, the story of how ecological economic methods have developed over time is also one of how new scientific methods that lie beyond reductionism have developed. Telling that story is the first basic aim of this book and this is then developed into a state of the art assessment of ecological economics as well as its likely future direction. The tone is defiantly pluralistic and inclusive and the contributors include many of the leading names in the field including Richard Norgaard, Arild Vatn and Malte Faber.