Re: [Fis] "Ecological Economics and Information"

Dear fis colleagues,

I think that Luis is quite right. Let us postpone the general social themes
to the end of the discussion and let us try to enter into
specifics. However, at the time being I cannot help but having my meager
reflections focused on the bridge between both Jerry and Luis introductions
yet. I will write down just a few 'pills':

1- The general system classification of levels presented by Jerry (O�1
subatomic.... O�10 planet) would have a bifurcation at level O�7,
individuals, starting a new branching that covers human socioeconomic
organizations. Face to face with the branch of ecological systems. I am
reminded Michael Conrad's consideration about the human 'economy' as an
'artificial ecology'...

2- Economics, as a science devoted to that 'artificial ecology', should be
taken basically as an INFORMATION SCIENCE (the same than for many
contemporary biologists, biology itself has become an information science).
Loet's message puts some interesting speculations about that (and Jerry's
contains further intriguing points too).

3- The information signals, contents, processes, and tools of economic
systems have been evolving historically (as I referred in my last message):
along with the social problems and the scientific- technical opportunities
to tackle them. Modern forms respond mostly to the social complexity.

4- At present, those 'forms' of economic information would be deeply
distorted by the whole sociocultural dynamics. At least, there are
monumental info absences (from Luis: exergy costs, ecological costs,
degradation costs), and the financial dimensions looks quite hypertrofic.

5- Market idealization, mechanistic stubbornness (in mainstream classical
economics) dominate economic thinking. From these promises, the whole
contemporary problems in the relationship between the 'natural' and the
'artificial ecosystems' are automatically left outside the panorama of
scientific analysis, together with the need to rethink the info forms
accompanying economic life.

6- Then we are conduced to some of the comments within Heiner's message on
Keith Caldwell and Herman Daly...

best

Pedro

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Received on Fri Oct 31 11:58:14 2003