Volume 13 - Issue 75
/ March 2024
45
http:// www.amazoniainvestiga.info ISSN 2322- 6307
DOI: https://doi.org/10.34069/AI/2024.75.03.4
How to Cite:
Shorina, T., Abysova, M., Poda, T., Sukhova, N., & Matyukhina, O. (2024). A holistic approach to addressing the global
environmental challenge: the scientific-philosophical methodology. Amazonia Investiga, 13(75), 45-55.
https://doi.org/10.34069/AI/2024.75.03.4
A holistic approach to addressing the global environmental challenge:
the scientific-philosophical methodology
Цілісний підхід до вирішення глобальної екологічної проблеми: єдність науково-
філософської методології
Received: January 5, 2024 Accepted: February 25, 2024
Written by:
Tetiana Shorina1
https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9281-7840
Mariia Abysova2
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6461-7769
Tetiana Poda3
https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9662-1204
Nadiia Sukhova4
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2422-4397
Oleksandra Matyukhina5
https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2789-0237
Abstract
The search for a constructive strategy to overcome
socio-economic and environmental imbalances in
technogenic civilization is of great importance in
modern science and philosophy. The article aims to
discuss the scientific and philosophical potential of
the holistic approach as a specific methodology and
worldview. To achieve this goal, the authors clarify
the understanding of the term "ecology" as an
interdisciplinary field encompassing both natural
and social aspects, which is the key to the modern
analysis of environmental problems and the search
for their solutions. The study of the doctrines of
"new humanism", "world balance for mankind",
and "new enlightenment", which were presented in
the reports to the Club of Rome, allows one to find
out the ethical and metaphysical foundations of the
new paradigm of holism, its prognostic potential.
Keywords: global problems, Club of Rome,
holism, "new humanism", alienation.
1
Department of Philosophy, Faculty of Linguistics and Social Communications, National Aviation University, Kyiv, Ukraine.
2
Department of Philosophy, Faculty of Linguistics and Social Communications, National Aviation University, Kyiv, Ukraine.
3
Department of Philosophy, Faculty of Linguistics and Social Communications, National Aviation University, Kyiv, Ukraine.
4
Department of Philosophy, Faculty of Linguistics and Social Communications, National Aviation University, Kyiv, Ukraine.
5
Department of Philosophy, Faculty of Linguistics and Social Communications, National Aviation University, Kyiv, Ukraine.
46
www.amazoniainvestiga.info ISSN 2322- 6307
Introduction
In the preface to the anniversary report to the
Club of Rome “Come On! ...”, its researchers
excitedly diagnosed that, despite the precautions
taken by the international community, the world
is once again in a critical situation (Weizsäcker
& Wijkman, 2018, p. 1). The uniqueness of this
crisis lies in its progressive nature. Moreover, it
affects not just one particular aspect of the world
system but it is all-pervasive. The researchers of
the report have identified disarray in various
areas, namely in the natural environment
(pathogenic changes in water, biosphere,
atmosphere, and ecosphere). They also perceive
the crisis in the Western social framework,
highlighting the crisis of democratic institutions,
ideology, morality, economics, and social sphere
(Weizsäcker & Wijkman, 2018, p. 2). The
alarmist predictions that we often hear these days
have lost their sensationalism and social acuity
since everyday life has long been in a state of
turbulent and "molecular" social upheaval and
conflict. However, when policymakers make
statements about the crisis, it can produce a
disheartening impact and bring a bleak tone to
the mass consciousness. This mutual influence is
theoretically grounded in the philosophical
principle of the identity of thinking and being.
Crises and deformations of social time turn into
crisis tendencies of social consciousness, and
vice versa, deformations and regressions of
social consciousness lead to a "sick society"
(Fromm). The fear and confusion of the global
elites about the future, and their talk of an
impending "abyss", is not just a tool for
manipulation. It is a real indicator of their loss of
strategic forecasting and control over global
development. It is appropriate to recall
postmodern critics who revealed the
deceptiveness of rationalism's "metanarratives"
and the failure of its "Great Promises" of
progress, truth, and happiness. However, moving
away from logocentrism and universalism leads
to a situation of universal uncertainty and
unpredictability. Empirical positivist vision,
having rejected metanarratives, cannot deal with
this situation effectively. Therefore, it is essential
to comprehend and implement a new rationalist
worldview to address the critical question: What
can guide one in addressing the global crisis of
the planet and humanity's evolution?
Literature review
Numerous scientific works and publications of
modern researchers are devoted to the process of
finding a constructive strategy for overcoming
the socio-economic and ecological imbalance of
man-made civilization.
In particular, G. Hegel (2001), T. Shorina
(2021b) explore the philosophical component of
the potential of the holistic approach,
representing the latter as a specific worldview
concept. Instead, M. Hinner (2017), A. Linde
(2002) focused on the study of the scientific
component, clarifying the definition of ecology
as a science. In continuation, V. Vernadskyi
(2012) positions ecology as an innovative
interdisciplinary field that synergizes natural and
anthropogenic-social aspects of life. Some
scientists (Oztruk et al., 2010) see it as a basic
strategy for the modern analysis of
environmental problems and the search for
practical variations of ways to solve them.
Scientific publications by A. Peccei (1977),
D. Meadows, J. Randers, W. Behrens (1972) are
devoted to the study of the doctrines of "new
humanism", "world balance for humanity", "new
enlightenment", which were presented in the
reports of the Club of Rome). The results of the
scientific research of the cited scientists allow us
to highlight and specify the ethical and
metaphysical foundations of the new paradigm of
holism, focusing on its prognostic potential.
Methodology
Throughout its activity, the Club of Rome has
attracted the attention of leading scientists,
politicians, and public officials through the
concrete scientific elaboration of the problems of
global world development and philosophical
reflections on human behavior in the world.
Since their first report in 1972, "Limits to
Growth", the Club of Rome has recognized the
inseparable connection between scientific
research methods and philosophical assumptions
and conclusions. This connection, first of all, was
found in the choice and justification of the
doctrine and strategy of studying world
dynamics. In the Limits to Growth report, the
choice was made in favor of a holistic view of the
world. As postulated by the authors of the report,
their epistemology was based on the principle
that it is "through knowledge of wholes that we
gain an understanding of components, and not
vice versa" (Meadows et al., 1972, p. 186).
Therefore, it's not only technical and scientific
solutions that are critical for global analysis, but
also for understanding social processes and
complex dependencies in human behavior in
Shorina, T., Abysova, M., Poda, T., Sukhova, N., Matyukhina, O. / Volume 13 - Issue 75: 45-55 / March, 2024
Volume 13 - Issue 75
/ March 2024
47
http:// www.amazoniainvestiga.info ISSN 2322- 6307
general. The behavior of people, which is
conditioned by economic, political, social, and
thought determinants, shapes the context and
forms of people's relations to each other and
nature. Global environmental problems, such as
the negative effects of industrial development
and material wealth, testify to the negative
anthropogenic interference in natural systems,
which neglects the sustainable flow of nature.
They also speak to the specificity of human
social practice, whose philosophy is exponential
and anarchic material growth, profit-seeking, and
wastefulness.
The proponents of holism view the world as an
interconnected and interdependent network of
systems that must follow sustainable patterns of
conduct (Figure 1).
Figure 1. The holistic view of sustainability.
Source: (Oztruk et al., 2010)
This approach helps them establish criteria for
determining what is acceptable, unacceptable,
and tolerable. By doing so, they can identify our
role in society in a forward-looking manner. The
Club of Rome figures rely on the integrity of
scientific and philosophical methodology to
consistently criticize the negative tendencies of
Western civilization. They advocate for
paradigm and system shifts that can help society
emerge from our current crises. The goal is to
promote a new way of being human within a
more resilient biosphere (Club of Rome, (n.d.)).
Holistic approach is interdisciplinary in nature
and is considered a modern methodology for
socio-humanities and environmental sciences.
As an epistemological approach, holism serves
not only as a principle of critical analysis of
social reality but also as a principle of scientific
foresight.
The study aims to discuss the scientific and
philosophical potential of a holistic approach as
a methodology and worldview to solve
ecological global challenges.
To achieve the aim of the study, the following
research tasks are identified:
− clarifying the understanding of the term
"ecology" and its current subject matter;
− clarifying the position of the ecology
problem in modern humanitarian and social
knowledge;
− indicating the connection between scientific
rationalism and the philosophy of holism,
supported by reports to the Club of Rome,
such as "Limits to Growth" (Meadows et al.,
1972) and "Come On! Capitalism, Short-
termism, Population and Destruction of the
Planet" (Weizsäcker, & Wijkman 2018);
48
www.amazoniainvestiga.info ISSN 2322- 6307
− investigating the axiology and ethics of
holism as a new social paradigm of
development, using examples such as the
doctrine of "new humanism" (Peccei), the
strategy of "world equilibrium for mankind"
(Meadows), and "new enlightenment"
(Weizsäcker, & Wijkman, 2018);
− highlighting the problem of alienation of
human activity and the social naivety of the
rationalism of naturalistic thinking.
Results and discussion
The problem of the environment is a significant
issue for humanity. Its global nature implies the
unification of the efforts of the international
community. This problem requires not only
scientific and natural knowledge but also
technical and humanitarian knowledge.
Philosophy plays a vital role in this matter.
Philosophy studies issues related to the general
foundations of existence, the essential
characteristics of humans, and their interaction
with society and the world around them.
Methodologically, philosophical reflection
makes it possible to consider a particular problem
in its entirety, analyze the interaction of various
elements, and study the relationship of the object
of study with other phenomena. Moreover, the
nineteenth-century positivists emphasized the
integrative role of philosophy, i.e., the ability of
philosophy to generalize the data of various
sciences, thus obtaining new knowledge.
The problem of ecology has always been in the
focus of philosophy as it deals with the relations
of man to nature. First of all, classical
philosophy, which from ancient times and almost
until the nineteenth century developed in close
connection with natural science, recognized this
problem. Since about the 1960s, the imperative
of "greening" human knowledge and practice has
become a general program not only of the
scientific worldview but also of the philosophy
that has not lost interest in the problems of
ontology as a philosophy of nature and its
modern variant, the philosophy of space. Due to
the increasing need to combine knowledge in
order to solve global environmental issues, the
term "ecology" has become very broad and
commonly used today. It has gone beyond its
original use within the scientific community and
is sometimes used in a less strict sense. This is
because of the relevance of environmental
problems to society as a whole.
The word "ecology" is now ubiquitous in the
names of governmental or non-governmental
institutions, public projects, goods, products,
services, and educational projects. For example,
people talk about ecological festivals, eco-
design, eco-style, ecology of language, media
ecology, ecology of public space, and ecology of
the urban environment.
The term "ecology" comes from two Greek
words, “oikos” meaning house or dwelling, and
"logos" meaning science or knowledge.
Therefore, ecology means "the science of
habitat". A naturalist researcher of flora and
fauna is always an ecologist as well because
studying an organism apart from its habitat is
impossible.
The term "ecology" was coined by Professor
E. Haeckel of the University of Jena in 1866.
Ecology was initially viewed as a branch of
biology that studied the interactions between
living organisms, based on the condition of their
environment. However, this perception changed
with the realization of the consequences of the
Industrial Revolution, which became
increasingly apparent in the twentieth century.
The use of hydrocarbon fuels such as coal, oil,
shale, and gas, as well as the extraction of large
quantities of metals and other minerals, has
resulted in the inclusion of substances stored in
former biospheres into the natural cycle. These
substances, which were once locked in
sedimentary rocks and have already left the
cycle, are now being found in the biosphere,
leading to pollution of water, air, and soil. This
pollution is rapidly increasing in intensity.
Since the 1960s, environmental issues have been
a topic of major policy discussions and
international agreements. In 1964, an
international biological program was launched
under the United Nations, to evaluate the
biological productivity of the planet Earth.
Numerous scientific teams joined the program,
and established field research stations, many of
which still exist today. In 1972, the General
Conference of UNESCO adopted the Convention
Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural
and Natural Heritage (Unesco, 1972), and the
United Nations Environment Programme
(UNEP) was founded. In 1985, the Vienna
Convention for the Protection of the Ozone Layer
(European Union, 1985) was adopted and joined
by 197 countries. In 1992, the Convention on
Biological Diversity (United Nations, 1992) was
adopted, and many countries committed
themselves to preserve biodiversity on their
territory. In 1997, the Kyoto Protocol (United
nations climate change, (s.f)) was adopted as the
first major agreement to limit greenhouse gas
Volume 13 - Issue 75
/ March 2024
49
http:// www.amazoniainvestiga.info ISSN 2322- 6307
emissions. Thus, at the end of the twentieth
century, environmental issues became widely
discussed in society, and humanity began to take
an active interest in them. These issues include
preserving biodiversity, maintaining the
sustainability of ecosystems and the biosphere as
a whole, environmental protection, and nature
conservation. Although they are practical issues,
their solutions are related to the knowledge that
ecology as a science has accumulated.
From this global theoretical and practical
overview, classical ecology or ecology as a
biological discipline is only a natural part of
modern ecology. The modern understanding of
ecology provides a generalized understanding of
the interaction between man and nature, society
and nature, the biosphere and the technosphere,
nature, culture and civilization in general, and
therefore its subject matter goes beyond the
scope of biological science (Shorina, 2021a,
p. 78).
Hence, it can be summarized that modern
ecology is the science of possible human
behaviour that would allow the passing of
Nature, the common human habitat, or biosphere,
to the next generations to ensure humanity's
survival on planet Earth. Since planet Earth is the
only home of humans and everything in it is
interconnected, we need to be able to combine
the knowledge accumulated in different
disciplines into a single coherent construct. As
Michael B. Hinner writes about this, "the social
ecological perspective provides a deeper and
richer understanding of intercultural
communication contexts" (Hinner, 2017), the
same idea about the unity of environmental
knowledge and cultural context is proved by Juan
Carlos Miguel de Bustos: "this world is
interrelated with human being" (de Bustos, 2009,
p. 54). The science of how humans should live on
Earth is naturally called human ecology, or
simply ecology. In fact, this understanding forms
the full content of modern ecology.
Ecology is a broad field that encompasses not
only the study of nature and the environment but
also the accumulated knowledge and current
issues of philosophical research. In the twentieth
century, several philosophical movements
emerged that based their ideologies on scientific
achievements and gave credit to science. These
include the philosophy of positivism, modern
analytical philosophy, the philosophy of
Marxism, and the natural science direction of
cosmism.
In modern times, a holistic view of matter
(nature) in its interaction with humans, of the
place and role of humans as active subjects of
transformative activity and cognition in nature
and cosmogenesis in general has been developed.
This idea has been developed by physicists,
biologists, and philosophers who have
formulated the concept of global evolution and
the hypothesis of the anthropic principle.
The convergence of ecological and philosophical
knowledge in cognitive and humanistic
determinations has led to the development of a
new direction in philosophy called eco-
philosophy or the philosophy of ecology since
the 1970s. As stated in the encyclopedia, the
philosophy of ecology is a branch of
philosophical research that focuses on how
environmental problems affect the methodology
of modern scientific knowledge and the
formation of contemporary worldviews
(Kyselov, 2009).
In the philosophy of ecology, man, despite all his
socio-cultural and scientific achievements, is
seen as an earthly being with the functions of a
biological system. Man’s vital activity is directly
related to the functioning of a set of biosphere
mechanisms. At the same time, the philosophy of
ecology explores the conflictual impact of man
on nature, which in the twentieth century led to
the emergence of the global environmental crisis,
tries to understand the causes and find ways to
reduce and overcome it.
An important question that needs to be addressed
is whether scientific and technological
advancements and their implementation are
directly responsible for environmental issues,
leading to the destruction of nature, depletion of
natural resources, and worsening of living
conditions. Alternatively, are these negative
consequences a result of specific methods and
forms of utilizing the benefits of science and
technology?
Science and technology have an ambivalent
nature when viewed from a materialistic
understanding of society and a historical
approach to understanding human nature. They
can either worsen environmental problems or
contribute to their solution. The kind of impact
they will have on global problems, including
environmental ones, directly depends on social
relations. Different social systems have different
socio-economic relations that determine the
forms of deployment and goals of mastering
scientific and technological progress, as well as
the various practical orientations of this process.
50
www.amazoniainvestiga.info ISSN 2322- 6307
The source of pathology is certain values that
form and serve this way of life.
The members of the Club of Rome express their
support for these conclusions. Since the
publication of the first report "The Limits to
Growth" in 1972, there has been an inseparable
connection between scientific research methods
and general philosophical assumptions and
conclusions. This connection was primarily
demonstrated in the selection and justification of
the doctrine and strategy of studying world
dynamics. "The Limits to Growth" Report
advocated for a holistic view of the world,
wherein knowledge of the whole is crucial to
understanding components. In this regard, global
environmental problems caused by industrial
development and the material wealth of society
indicate not only negative anthropogenic
interference in natural systems that neglect the
intrinsically sustainable flow of nature and its
ability to sustain life but also the specifics of
human social practice, whose philosophy is
increasing profit-seeking.
The excessive deregulation and liberalization of
the economy dictate short-term profit strategies,
ignoring social and environmental values. The
liberal philosophy has become the ideology of a
new class of the emerging industrial society – the
bourgeoisie. Consequently, many modern
scientists and social reformers in the past half-
century have viewed these liberal-bourgeois
values and the capitalist mode of production as
malignant.
Is it possible to envision a way out of the
systemic crisis and overcome the world trends
threatening to collapse? The researchers of the
Club of Rome believed it was possible. In their
reports, they have developed new methods to
study the world and identified scenarios for
global dynamics using existing algorithms. In
their reports, they also provided suggestions for
the future state of the world and opened up new
perspectives for ongoing intellectual and
practical endeavours to shape that future
(Meadows et al., 1972, p. 186).
Although the authors of "The Limits to Growth"
explicitly stated that their work was not intended
as a piece of futurology (Meadows et al., 1972,
p. 186), we believe that the development of the
concept of a society in a steady state of economic
and ecological equilibrium, as well as the holistic
methodological approach, can be considered a
type of social futurology. This concept does not
rely exclusively on theoretical constructs or
empirical generalizations. Instead, it aims to set
goals and an image of a new society that is
transcendental to the current experience of
practice and thinking. Therefore, the assumptions
made in this concept are not just a product of
scientific knowledge, but also of a
philosophically hypothetical and ethically
normative view. According to the Encyclopedia
Britannica, an article on futurology, a section in
the social sciences, studies of "The Limits to
Growth" and similar studies projecting a
generalized socioeconomic vision based on
computer simulations are classified as a type of
"technological forecasting" (O'Toole, 2017).
The movement towards a new paradigm of
society was associated with fundamental changes
in the nature of human practice, i.e. the reform of
human qualities. The idea of reforming "human
qualities" was also expounded by Aurelio Peccei,
the first president of the Club of Rome.
According to Peccei (Peccei, 1977, p. xi),
salvation is only possible if people change their
values, behaviour, and mores for the better.
Previously, "The Limits to Growth" report
identified crucial areas that require cultural
shifts. Let us present their key paradigmatic
philosophical principles. First and foremost (1) is
the realization that the world is becoming one
reality, but "If the world is becoming one, then
the future must also be only one" (Meadows et
al., 1972, p. 2); (2) is the understanding that the
establishment of a new social paradigm "must be
a joint venture based on joint conviction, with
benefits for all" (Meadows et al., 1972, p. 194);
(3) that collective and cooperative steps towards
a new social paradigm must be planned (by
planned measures, rather than by chance), or, as
A. Peccei put it in this regard. Peccei "Long-term
global goals, both feasible and acceptable, have
to be set for mankind" ("Aurelio Peccei", 1974,
p. 476). А. Peccei shared the view that man is
indeed a rational and spiritual creature worth
saving and therefore believed that the present
crash-bound course can be countered and
reversed only by the advent of a new humanism
essentially based on and aiming at man's cultural
development, that is, a substantial improvement
in human quality throughout the world. The ideas
of social solidarity, responsibility, justice, peace
(as intolerance of violence) and protection of
nature were further developed in his concept of a
"new humanism". It is clear that the proposed
concepts of "zero", and "organic" growth and the
concept of new humanism are alternatives to the
existing market fundamentalism.
The holistic approach is important in the analysis
of world dynamics. It methodologically
combines the logic of scientific rational
Volume 13 - Issue 75
/ March 2024
51
http:// www.amazoniainvestiga.info ISSN 2322- 6307
cognition, and scientific prognostics, as well as
philosophical, moral and ethical normative views
and principles. Thus, in the scientific aspect, this
approach allows us to analyze the world as a
global system in which all its elements are
interconnected and interdependent. The world is
understood as a complex system and a network
of interconnections between society and nature.
By applying scientific methods, we can describe
and model various systems of the global world,
taking into account their complex interactions.
The philosophical dimension introduces a value-
based and critical understanding of world
dynamics. Holism in the philosophical
dimension appears as a dominant value. The
holistic approach emphasizes the importance of
sustainable and balanced development,
considering the priority of ensuring the life of the
world system as a task of collective human
intellectual and moral efforts.
Holism is metaphysically supported by the
formation of the post-non-classical science
paradigm within the philosophy of science and
scientific methodology (Drotianko et al., 2020).
Among its leading provisions are the recognition
of the multiplicity of methods and approaches to
scientific research, the emphasis on the
contextuality of knowledge, the recognition of
the role of socio-cultural factors in the formation
of scientific theories and concepts, and the
consideration of the interaction between
researchers and research objects. Science, having
introduced the position of the observer into its
research, has come to the idea of interdependence
of all material systems, and thus to the idea of the
world and man being closed into a single whole
(man is seen as an accomplice in the world
processes). The world in science is increasingly
imagined as a complex combination of the
mental and the material (de Chardin), as a co-
evolution of man and nature (Moiseev). One can
find the same idea, in particular, in the works of
V. Vernadskyi. The naturalist considered life as
a natural, not accidental, planetary phenomenon
in the global evolution that builds the biosphere
and the noosphere (Vernadskyi, 2012, part IV).
According to Vernadskyi, the noosphere is a new
geological evolutionary change in the biosphere
that is emerging spontaneously in our time. It is
a sphere where rational human activity plays a
crucial role in the development and interaction
between society and nature. A. Linde's
reflections on the anthropic principle are also
relevant in this regard. In the light of quantum
cosmology and inflationary theory, the scientist
wondered: "Will it not turn out, with the further
development of science, that the study of the
universe and the study of consciousness are
inseparably linked, and that ultimate progress in
the one will be impossible without progress in the
other?" (Linde, 2002, p. 27).
The holistic approach provides us with a
comprehensive perspective on how to determine
whether someone is responsible or irresponsible
for the crisis that the world system is currently
facing. It also helps us understand the irrational
and unsystematic actions that people take
towards their own lives and the natural world.
Separately, we note that the analysis of the
"social responsibility" category against the
background of the forecasts of researchers of the
Club of Rome, in particular, was considered by
O. Matyukhina (Matyukhina, 2021).
Since the formation of its non-classical paradigm
in the nineteenth century, philosophy has been
spreading a pessimistic and even tragic view of
man. It stated that people are alienated from their
own activities, their social essence, and nature.
Hence the antinomy of human existence: "we
have never been so free and also felt so
powerless, refers to the experience of collective
powerlessness in the face of humanly created
ecological, technological, political, cultural and
social change, a social experience that coincides
and even seems to be produced by what is
objectively an increase in humanity’s social and
material power" (Øversveen, 2021). This
estrangement, or disconnection is attributed to
historical and social practices or the structures of
human nature. However, the latter case presents
an insurmountable problem since man's conflict
with himself and the world is eternal. This is
because his egoism, irrational impulses, and lust
are unbridled and remain unchanged. Only the
former position leaves room for potential
positive changes.
In the twentieth century, there were discussions
regarding the conflicting development of humans
by K. Tsiolkovsky, a theoretical scientist who
was the pioneer of modern theoretical
cosmonautics and rocketry, and a supporter of
anthropocosm, and O. Chizhevsky, a
biophysicist who was one of the founders of
space natural science and space ecology. Thus,
O. Chizhevsky recalled one of his conversations
with K. Tsiolkovsky, in which he expressed his
concern: "Imagine (Tsiolkovsky - author) that we
would suddenly learn to transform matter into
energy completely, that is, we would translate
formal knowledge /.../ into reality. Well, then -
with all of today's human morality – regard it as
all lost /.../. The earth would turn into hell: people
would show their pigeon-silly mentality – no
stone would be left unturned. Humanity would be
52
www.amazoniainvestiga.info ISSN 2322- 6307
destroyed!" as cited in (Shorina, 2021b). The
statement of the discrepancy between the
scientific and technological, in fact, intellectual
capabilities of humanity as a whole and specific
forms of its morality is a cross-cutting theme of
humanist philosophical thought and science
fiction to this day.
We can recall from Hegel’s "Philosophy of
Right" (Hegel, 2001) that a person’s free will, as
it transitions to rational self-understanding, must
be objectified in ethical life, which is constituted
by Family, Civil Society, and the State. If a
person can only be realized in the forms of social
collectivises, then his anxiety about the future
should be not a purely moral problem, but a
political one. In this sense, it is no coincidence
that Vernadskyi believed that the emergence of
noosphere life was linked to the type of
democracy that valued the interests of the masses
and the free thought of the individual. This
system would prioritize the unity and equality of
all people and promote scientific thinking and
organized science as the driving force of
evolution. This type of society in the geological
history of the biosphere opens up a great future
for man, "if he understands this and does not use
his mind and his labour for self-destruction"
(Vernadskyi, 2005). Despite his worries, the
scientist remained optimistic. His optimism was
rooted in his naturalism as a scientific and
philosophical position. He believed that life is a
natural phenomenon resulting from the evolution
of the world and that the noosphere, which is a
natural stage of the biosphere, is consistent with
natural law. The scientist also noted that the
biosphere would inevitably transition into the
noosphere sooner or later. He believed that the
civilization of "cultural humanity" is a new
geological force that cannot be interrupted or
destroyed (Vernadskyi, 2012, part I).
We can observe an extraordinary coherence of
ideas among the above-mentioned scientists and
the considerations of D. Meadows. In 2004,
based on monitoring the global system's
behaviour, D. Meadows warned that since the
1990s, humanity has already crossed the line of
self-sustaining the Earth's ecosystems. That is
why the favourable scenarios of the 1972 model
(with high or medium consumption) are no
longer achievable. In 2000, the world's
population of 6 billion, natural resource
consumption, and environmental destruction
corresponded to the most unfavourable (standard
run) scenario. The time to implement favourable
scenarios was lost. D. Meadows and his group
predicted that if a "serious correction" of
humanity's consumption of natural resources is
not made soon, the collapse of humanity in one
form or another (socio-economic, environmental,
in the form of many local conflicts) will be
inevitable, and "it will come during the lifetime
of the current generation".
Finally, 2022 marked the 50th anniversary of the
publication of the first report to the Club of
Rome, "The Limits to Growth". To
commemorate this milestone, a compilation book
titled "Limits and Beyond: 50 years on from The
Limits to Growth, What Did We Learn and
What's Next?". The book includes contributions
from the first scientists, Dennis L. Meadows and
Jorgen Randers, in which they reflect on the
"lessons of the past" and outline prospects for the
future (Ugo, & Pereira, 2022).
In 2022, D. Meadows stated in an interview that
their group had accurately aggregated the image
of the global system. They confirmed that, as a
result of their efforts, scientists generally
concluded that "the world is moving along what
we termed in our 1972 report to be the standard
scenario" (Heinberg, & Meadows, 2022).
Therefore, according to D. Meadows, the
presented World Model Standard Run (Figure 2)
is still useful for comprehending events taking
place in the world, as well as for preparing for
future prospects.
Volume 13 - Issue 75
/ March 2024
53
http:// www.amazoniainvestiga.info ISSN 2322- 6307
Figure 2. Reconstruction of Figure 35, page 124 of The Limits to Growth (1972).
Source: (Hamant, 2023)
In our opinion, D. Meadows is a rationalist due
to his conviction for the existence of objective
existence and truthful knowledge about the
world. He can also be considered a social
optimist and humanist. D. Meadows, along with
his wife Donella Meadows (who passed away in
2001) and his entire research team, believed in
the progress and rationality of humanity. Donella
Meadows herself defined their shared
epistemological positions. “We were at MIT”,
she said, “we had been trained in science. The
way we thought about the future was utterly
logical: if you tell people there’s a disaster ahead,
they will change course. If you give them a
choice between a good future and a bad one, they
will pick the good. They might even be grateful.
Naive, weren’t we?” (Weyler, 2022).
Through this epistemological optimism, they
fuelled their arguments for changing the social
paradigm of development toward a more
balanced and just one. In Juan Bordera's
interview with D. Meadows, the holistic scholar
warned against mistaking the symptoms of
problems for their true cause. Undoubtedly, the
symptoms themselves should be eliminated, but
without missing what lies behind them: "You
can’t sustain the growth by tackling problems
one by one. Even if we were to solve climate
change, we would encounter the next problem by
continuing to grow, whether it is a shortage of
water, food or other crucial resources. Growth is
going to stop, for one reason or another"
(Meadows, 2022). Holism as a methodological
approach is here contrasted with reductionism.
Reductionism assumes that complex systems can
be understood by analysing them into simpler
components. Holism, in contrast, emphasizes
that a true understanding of a system requires
considering it as a whole. On the other hand, as
we have seen, holism being a construct of
rational thinking and systems analysis, despite
the fact that it takes into account the complex and
non-linear network of world interconnections,
turns out to be an unproductive argument against
the irrational and utilitarian-selfish nature of the
behaviour of the world's actors. There is no linear
determination between "change of
consciousness" and "change of the world".
Conclusions
According to the Club of Rome's research, global
problems are interdependent, and their solution
requires a global approach. At present, it is not
the natural environment, human nature, or
science and technology that limit the rational and
comprehensive use of natural resources to meet
the needs of society. Instead, it is the nature of
the development of material productive forces
and the goals of social production that restrict the
possibilities of crisis-free scientific and technical
progress and social advancement of mankind.
This point of view was initially expressed by the
54
www.amazoniainvestiga.info ISSN 2322- 6307
scientists of the Club of Rome and has remained
true over time. D. Meadows believes that the
main cause of global problems is the ideology of
infinite growth, which is expressed in GDP and
the corresponding global policy. The excess of
human activity over natural limits indicates the
need to change the goal of humanity: not only to
slow down but also to return to a level that can be
consistent with the ecological limits of the planet.
This state of affairs indicates that society is not
sufficiently prepared for the future. Although
technologies are available today that can reduce
the severity of global problems, their use depends
on political will. Today's global policy-makers
remain focused on short-term goals. The
difference from previous decades is that now
there is less time to make important decisions.
Unfortunately, the gap between "new thinking"
like "new humanism" and the real state of affairs
is only tragically widening.
The concept of holism, as a new social paradigm
of development, is being advocated by the Club
of Rome through the ideas of "new humanism"
(Peccei) and "new enlightenment" (Weizsäcker,
& Wijkman, 2018). Its ethical aim is to address
the crisis in the world system and promote a more
just and humane form of liberalism. However,
the fundamental principles of the global capitalist
system remain unchanged. In the authors’
opinion, this vision of resolving contradictions is
not dialectical, but "external", trying to
"reconcile" contradictions. It seems highly
important to address global problems and
security issues by not just altering the
philosophical and ethical constructs, but also the
nature of its main organizational structures.
However, this remains a theoretically idealized
matter. In general, the debate around integrating
socially-oriented values into the capitalist
economic system and finding a balance between
markets and the state requires a separate
justification.
Bibliographic references
De Bustos, J. C. M. (2009). Culture,
communication and environment: cultural
ecology. Infoamérica: Iberoamerican
Communication Review, (1), 49-58.
Drotianko, L., Abysova, M., Chenbai, N., &
Shorina, T. (2020). Post-non-classical
science in the age of informatization of
society: functional aspect. E3S Web Conf.,
157.
https://doi.org/10.1051/e3sconf/2020157040
03
European Union (1985). Vienna Convention for
the Protection of the Ozone Layer.
http://surl.li/tixau
Hamant, O. (2023, 6 March). The 1972 Meadows
Report: A Wake-Up Call for Plant Science.
Cambridge University Press.
http://surl.li/rikjw
Hegel, G. W. F. (2001). Philosophy of Right
(Dyde, Transl). Batoche Books Kitchener.
https://historyofeconomicthought.mcmaster.
ca/hegel/right.pdf
Heinberg, R., & Meadows, D. (2022, 22
February). Dennis Meadows on the 50th
Anniversary of the Publication of the Limits
to Growth. Resilience.org.
https://acortar.link/bY0UAf
Hinner, M. B. (2017). Social Ecological
Perspective on Intercultural Communication.
In The International Encyclopedia of
Intercultural Communication. John Wiley &
Sons, Inc.
https://doi.org/10.1002/9781118783665.ieic
c0067
Kyselov, M. (2009). Philosophy of Ecology. In
Encyclopedia of Modern Ukraine.
https://esu.com.ua/article-18667
Linde, A. (2002, 8 November). Inflation,
Quantum Cosmology and the Anthropic
Principle. Site Cornell University.
https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.hep-
th/0211048
Matyukhina, O. (2021). The category of
"ecological responsibility" in the ethical
teaching of the Catholic Church in the XXI
century. Proceedings of the National
Aviation University. Series: Philosophy.
Culturology, 2(34), 42-46.
https://jrnl.nau.edu.ua/index.php/VisnikPK/a
rticle/view/16313
Meadows, D. (2022). Fifty Years After ‘The
Limits to Growth’: Interviewed by Juan
Bordera". Monthly
Review. https://mronline.org/2022/08/10/fift
y-years-after-the-limits-to-growth/
Meadows, D., Meadows, D., Randers, J., &
Behrens, W. (1972). The limits to growth; A
report for the Club of Rome's project on the
Predicament of Mankind. Universe Books.
https://acortar.link/EQfaOo
O'Toole, J. J. (2017). Futurology. In
Encyclopedia Britannica.
https://www.britannica.com/topic/futurology
Øversveen, E. (2021). Capitalism and alienation:
Towards a Marxist theory of alienation for
the 21st century. European Journal of Social
Theory, 25(3), 440-457.
https://doi.org/10.1177/13684310211021579
Oztruk, Z., Arayici, Y., Sharman, H., &
Egbu, C. O. (2010). Improving communities
Volume 13 - Issue 75
/ March 2024
55
http:// www.amazoniainvestiga.info ISSN 2322- 6307
through knowledge intensive regeneration.
Mediacity. Salford University, Salford, UK.
http://surl.li/rikis
Peccei, A. (1977). Introduction. The Human
Quality. Club of Rome Publications.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/articl
e/pii/B9780080214801500049
Peccei, A. (1974). In W. Oltmans (Ed.), On
Growth: The Crisis of Exploding Population
and Resource Depletion (pp. 471–83).
https://www.dbnl.org/tekst/oltm003ongr01_
01/oltm003ongr01_01_0072.php
Shorina, T. (2021a). Anthropic Principle and
Philosophy of Cosmism: Ontological and
Ethical Aspects. Proceedings of the National
Aviation University. Series: Philosophy.
Culturology, 2(34), 77-84.
https://doi.org/10.18372/2412-
2157.28.13376
Shorina, T. (2021b). The concept of modern
ecology in the focus of socio-philosophical
and scientific knowledge. Proceedings of the
National Aviation University. Series:
Philosophy. Culturology, 2(34), 76-81.
The Club of Rome. (s.f). About us.
https://www.clubofrome.org/about-us/
Ugo, B., & Pereira, A. (Ed.). (2022). Limits and
Beyond: 50 Years on From the Limits to
Growth, What Did We Learn and What’s
Next? A Report to the Club of Rome. Exapt
press.
https://www.clubofrome.org/publication/limi
ts-and-beyond/
Unesco (1972). Convention concerning the
Protection of the World Cultural and Natural
Heritage.
https://whc.unesco.org/archive/convention-
en.pdf
United Nations (1992). Convention on Biological
Diversity. Multilateral environmental
agreement. https://acortar.link/OaB5eF
United nations climate change (s.f) What is the
Kyoto Protocol?
https://unfccc.int/kyoto_protocol
Vernadskyi, V. (2005). A few words about the
noosphere. In N. Serebriakova & M. Kratka
(Eds.), Selected works. Kyiv: Naukova
dumka.
Vernadskyi, V. (2012). Scientific thought as a
planetary phenomenon. In Works on history,
philosophy and organization of science.
Kyiv: Feniks.
Weizsäcker, E. U., & Wijkman, A. (2018). Come
on! Capitalism, short-termism, population
and destruction of the planet. Springer
Science+Business Media LLC.
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-7419-1
Weyler, R. (2022, 1 May). Limits to
Growth: 50 Years Later. Greenpeace, 1 May.
https://acortar.link/tTLwNQ