The connections between ecological and human health (PDF)

Essay from the year 2004 in the subject Environmental Sciences, grade: HD, Murdoch University (ISTP - Institute for Sustainability and Technology Policy), course: Ecology, Society, And Human Health, language: English, abstract: From 'what' to 'how' questions: Questions of the type 'What is/are the nature/the co nnections of/between such and such?' contain archaic neglected residues. They insinuate that one heads out 'in the world' and will find 'the nature of or the connections between such and such'. The author emphasises the need to overcome such a naïve realisticontological worldview and to take a more linguistic-constructivist approach. One does not discover god-given essences or connections, but rather humans construct worldviews according to their available technologies, cultures, and aims. Thus, this essay will try to answer the question 'How do certain authors write about the connections between human health and ecological health?'. (ii) Semantic illusions: Taking Nelson Goodman seriously, the question can be divided into several sub-questions. The definite article in the notion 'the connections' seduces one to assume that there is a definite set of connections. Rather, it is the case that by different a uthors different connections are named. And actually, what does the term 'connection' mean? Linguistic connections between the terms 'human health' and 'ecological health' could be that both terms (a) contain the word 'health', (b) consist of two words, or (c) that they differ in the amount of letters. In order to try to give more 'substantial' connections between human health and ecological health, it is necessary to investigate what these terms mean, or to put it in a more appropriate way, how the (academic) community uses, applies, or employs these terms. [...]