ABSTRACT
The ‘human ecological triangle’ (cf. Figure 4.3 in Steiner, this volume, and also Jaeger and Steiner 1988:137) may well serve as a symbol of the main objectives and of the fundamental-and yet unsolved-problems with which the scientific endeavour we call ‘human ecology’ is confronted. The relationships, interactions and interdependencies between society, person and environment constitute the ground and framework not only of our global (and local) ecological crises, but also of some of our global (and local) social crises. Traditional scientific approaches in the various disciplines concerned are evidently not appropriate to elaborate the complex models that are required for an adequate understanding of these relationships, and that must be regarded as an indispensable precondition for any solution of the problems. It is, however, much easier to demand an integrative approach than to carry it out. Asking the appropriate questions is a first and necessary step in the right direction, yet it is not a guarantee for getting the desired answers. One of the basic problems in this context arises from the need to find an adequate way to conceptualize the relationships between the three corners of the human ecological triangle.
