ABSTRACT
The idea of ecology points to the interconnectedness of all things in the world (and even beyond). It gains its power from a sense of impairment, especially a sense that systems – ecosystems – have been corrupted in some way: their inner diversity has been weakened or some other misfortune has befallen them. It also contains an inner commentary that humanity bears some responsibility for such disturbances and an urging that humanity has a responsibility to help in restoring the integrity of its environment. These five dimensions of ecology – interconnectedness, potential diversity, impairment, responsibility and restoration – are testimony to the idea of ecology being a thick concept, containing several components. The university is an active variable in the ecological character of the world. This is a universal feature of the modern university – and yet this presence, with its universality, has rarely been recognized.
