Environmental Ethics

Author(s): S M Jain
Publisher: Prakrit Bharti Academy

Page 28

modified by life forms. The earliest life forms the Prokaryotes, the microbes, bacteria without cell nucleus lived without oxygen. These began to modify environment, produced oxygen by photosynthesis and stage was set for emergence/evolution of Eukaryotes, the single celled microbes with nucleus containing chromosomes, the genetic code. Eukaryotic cells are result of symbiosis between prokaryotes viz. mitochondria, chloroplasts which are continuing to live as organelles in the cells of various organisms.
All constituents of the environment singularly and collectively, animate or inanimate, assemble and disintegrate, take birth and die in a continuous and harmonius process symbiotically not only for its own kind but for the whole complex of the environment. In "I CHING" the Chinese book of wisdom this process has been mentioned very beautifully
66
the powerful light that has been banished, returns. After a time of decay comes turning point. There is movement but it is brought not by force. The movement is natural arriving spontaneously - transformation of old becomes easy. The old is discarded and new is introduced. Both measures accord with time, therefore no harm results". Even the "Big Bang" theorists wonder that after initial chaotic conditions, the universe that evolved is so smooth, harmonious and regular. Einstein believed in inherent harmony in nature. Such is the nature of things, their actions and interactions, symbiotic and harmonious, integrated and interdependent, contributing to the environment which is a composite system, a big organism, comprising multitude of subsystems, ecosystems, climaxes, succession stages of species, subspecies which are like organelles in a organism. Every subsystem is whole of its parts but part of the bigger system and functions as such. Human beings are part of this system and must function accordingly and symbiotically. Scientific research has substantiated that cooperating with others is hardwired into humans also. In a study of brain activity scientists found that longer the
13