ABSTRACT
It is argued that traditional scientific activity cannot guide sustainability issues using Robert Rosen’s modelling relation (1985; 1991) as a starting point. Some object lessons are extracted from Rosen’s arguments for scientists working on sustainability issues. Then the general framework of a methodological tool based on hierarchy theory is presented. This methodological tool establishes a relation between the description of socioeconomic systems on one particular level (the focal level) with that of the corresponding higher (e.g. ecological) and lower (e.g. individual perspectives of humans operating within the society) levels. For the most comprehensive account of this approach, together with a complete list of equations and applications, see the two special issues of Population and Environment, 2000, vol. 22(2) and 2001, vol. 22(3).
