On the Intellectual Roots of Ecological Crisis from the Perspective of Natural History

In ancient China the word shengyi (生意) meant roughly shengtai (生态, ecology), but after western civilization spreading all over the world the meaning of doing shengyi (business or trade) became making a quick buck, to some extent inevitably with ecological destruction. Why is it that you developed counties (white people) developed so much cargo (Yali’s question) and accumulated much more wealth than normal need? The secret relates to John Locke’s concept of property and Protestant ethics articulated by Max Weber. Excessive pursuit of private property may increase inequalities between people and overexploitation of nature, and cause all kinds of maladaptation, hence the environmental and ecological problems. The standard of human civilization needs to be reconsidered by analyzing adaptation and the sustainability of Gaia system. Old practice of natural history seemingly still gives us important insights about sci-tech innovation, education administration and ecological balance.