MUST-READ-ECOLOGY (For Hyle-Bio-Psycho-Sociality)
This historic book presented paradigms for ecology as effective toward human culture, along with (imperfect) influence of biology, toward psychology and sociology of the human-being. In the presentation of evidenced hypotheses, Huntington presages much of the modern total-systems model of the human phenotype. I do NOT think that this author was trying to say that he had 'uttered the last word' on his theses; and as his theses have become rather more-testable with the scientific paradigms-cultural and technological in this 21st century, I certainly feel that it is time to look-again at this important book MAINSPRINGS OF CIVILIZATION as a rich potential source for directing human/organismic ecological study.
In this vein, of somewhat recent date I have been interested in 'embellishment' of the total-systems-model implied by the term "bio-psycho-social" which appears in medical and other scientific literature. I faulted not the quest for comprehensiveness in this model, but indeed felt that more-was-needed to complete the comprehensiveness. In fine, it occurred to me that beyond the biological pertains the physical interface-- as we are bathed in electromagnetic 'waves,' affected by heat, and 'force' like wind, gravity, physical-pressure, and heat/thermal-dynamics. In other words, one needs to add this 'physical' (medical/scientific Greek: "HYLIC") dimension to a full analysis of totality in systems-- thus inviting my coinage of a HYLE-BIO-PSYCHO-SOCIAL MODEL(ING).
Even in Ellsworth Huntington's time, the molar aspects of what is now assumed in general science as framing the human phenomenon were visible; as a systhesizer with immense flair for presenting complex data in limpidly-clear graphics, and as an explicator for theses which had a factual basis (though not received in a time still having its wars with pan-behaviorism, and [especially here in the South] the pan-biologism fueling racism) this book was for a time a 'flash' on the American scene, resurrected in the dim consciousness of the late 1950s (as a partial justification for some of the hullaballoo then associated under the banner of "civil rights"), and eclipsed after the advent of sociobiology (toward which this work of Huntington would only give qualified endorsement), unto this time, which I esteem to be ripe for looking at the substantiated ideas, 'ideas for further research' then which now we have means:motive:better-opportunity to evidence in a more-vigorous way.
CONSIDER: (Life-scenario #1): There was an immense hurricane-- Katrina-- some years ago-- whose PHYSICS depopulated the City of New Orleans-- and the most fragile-- particularly those with mental disorders-- potentiated a greater phenotype of 'illness' from multiple inputs; (Life-Scenario # 2) Global Warming is 'desertify-ing' much of Africa and other parts of the world; the shade made my rich forestation is now reduced to the heat/glare of sun-- and cultures affected (and unaffected by USA 'fixes' of e.g. air-conditioning/refrigeration) are thrown into biological psychological and social turmoil; (Life-Scenario # 3): a pretty young girl is made a quadraplegic by a car-accident (PHYSICAL event) and then after numerous insults to muscularity:neurology:alimentary-system trys to effect suicide (PSYCHOLOGICAL event) and then is shunned by her Fundamentalist church (SOCIAL event); (Life-Scenario # 3): a rooming house in China catches afire in dead-of-winter (PHYSICAL event), death with burning (@ degrees 1, 2, &3) and the converse-- freezing-by-cold-exposure-- affect all levels of BIOLOGY hugely; there is potentiated high incidence of PTSD (post-traumatic-stress-disorder) in PSYCHOLOGY; and the whole nation mourns the catastrophe (SOCIAL event.) In this way, the 'hylic' becomes a real dimension to study in historical (as well as laboratory) time-series.
Thus -- for the leading hypotheses-- sustained by best-evidence-then, and for our potential to appreciate Huntington's theses with the new, born-again-ecology-movement, I think this work deserves careful attention.
