Some Approaches to Human Ecology and Its Conformity to the State of Indonesian Society (A Comparative Study)

Abstract

Comparing several approaches in the theory of human ecology is an interesting activity; since this science was born, until now, several approaches have been developed. This paper compares the three main approaches of human ecology: cultural ecology, ecosystem models, and system approaches. The goal is to identify its advantages, weaknesses, practicality and compatibility with conditions in Indonesia. The method used is the comparison method. Through this method, it is concluded that the system approach is the best and relatively suitable for the conditions and development of Indonesian society compared to the other two approaches. The advantages of this system approach are: (1) viewing humans as rational animals and placing them into social systems separate from ecosystems, (2) connecting social systems and ecosystems through processes of selection and adaptation, as well as energy, matter, and information flows, (3) a holistic scope of study. The placement of the human being into the social system within this approach is in accordance with the empirical facts and what it should be (das sein and das sollen). In terms of human interaction with the environment, human behavior as a rational animal predominates and determines which is what is different from other biotic components. This approach is holistic since it observes all components of social systems and ecosystems to the fullest. Because the results of the study show that the system approach is the most appropriate approach to the conditions of the Indonesians, it is hoped that, in the future, this approach can be used by social researchers, who generally do not use the human ecology approach, but instead use many other approaches (sociology, anthropology, and psychology), to examine Indonesian society.

Keywords: human ecology, comparative study, conformity, Indonesian society.