The Good Life PDF

LECTURE 10: THE GOOD LIFE John Stuart Mill's Greatest Happiness Science, Technology, and Society Principle: The Concept of Being Good o An action is right if it maximizes happine...

LECTURE 10: THE GOOD LIFE John Stuart Mill's Greatest Happiness Science, Technology, and Society Principle: The Concept of Being Good o An action is right if it maximizes happiness The terms “good” and “right” are often used for the greatest number of people. interchangeably but have different meanings: Schools of Thought on the Good Life o Right: Correctly applying norms, rules, or 1. Materialism laws. o Democritus & Leucippus: o Good: Having moral worth, involving ▪ The world consists of atomos (tiny character and personal qualities. invisible units). In Ancient Greece, the understanding of the world ▪ Human beings are made of matter, and and reality was intertwined with understanding material wealth is key to happiness. oneself and what constitutes the "good life." 2. Hedonism o Plato: Believed the task of understanding the o Epicurus: external world was linked to understanding ▪ Life's goal is to acquire pleasure, as life what makes the soul flourish. is short. o Aristotle: Distinguished between theoretical ▪ Mantra: “Eat, drink, and be merry, for and practical sciences: tomorrow we die.” ▪ Theoretical sciences (aim: truth): Logic, 3. Stoicism biology, physics, etc. o Also influenced by Epicurus: ▪ Practical sciences (aim: good): Ethics ▪ Happiness comes from apatheia and politics. (indifference to things beyond one's One must find the truth about the good before control). locating what is good. ▪ Accepting the limitations of control Aristotle's Approach to Reality and the Good Life leads to peace and contentment. Aristotle: 4. Theism o Viewed as the first philosopher to approach o Belief in God as the central meaning of life. reality scientifically and explore the ultimate o Ultimate happiness is found in union with goal of life: happiness. God, and this life is temporary. o Opposed his teacher Plato, who believed the 5. Humanism world is only a copy of a more real, ideal world o Man is the creator of his destiny and is free of forms. from divine control. o Aristotle grounded his belief in the tangible o Humanists, like scientists, focus on world, emphasizing observation of reality as improving the world and believe in self- the way to understand it. governance. Plato: Humanism, Science, and Technology o Proposed two realities: Humanism has motivated the advancement of ▪ World of Forms: Ideal, eternal entities. science and technology. ▪ World of Matter: Changing and Technological Progress: impermanent things. o Modern technology like the internet and Aristotle’s Perspective: social media have reshaped o Change is inherent in things. For instance, a communication and our way of life. seed becomes a plant through a natural o Technologies such as sexual process of growth. reassignment surgeries and hormone o All human beings aspire to achieve their full therapy allow individuals to alter their potential, a state of actuality. biological characteristics. Happiness as the Goal of Life o These innovations are seen as means of Aristotle believed: achieving the good life, but ethical o Every human action is aimed at an end, considerations must balance these which is happiness or human flourishing. advancements. o This happiness is not the fleeting joy from Does Science and Technology Lead to a Good Life? winning a competition, but a deeper, Technology can contribute to the good life but enduring sense of fulfilment—the crux of may also cause harm if misused. humanity.  A balance between human labor and technology is essential to ensure technology serves humanity and does not overpower it. Summary: Living the Good Life involves: A life of freedom, satisfaction, happiness, and purpose. It’s not just about personal fulfillment but also making meaningful contributions to society. POPULATION ECOLOGY 2. Emigration, where individuals leave the The study of populations in relation to the population for another habitat. environment. It includes environmental influences on: Population Change Formula: 1. Population density and distribution 2. Age structure 3. Variations in population size Where: N is the change in population CHARACTERISTICS OF POPULATION B is the number of births 1. Population size I is the number of immigrants 2. Population density D is the number of deaths 3. Dispersion E is the number of emigrants 4. Patterns 5. Demographics Population Growth 6. Survivorship curves 7. Population growth Refers to how the number of individuals in a population increases or decreases with time. POPULATION SIZE Controlled by the birth rate and death rate. In population genetics and population ecology, population size (usually denoted N) is the TYPES OF POPULATION GROWTH number of individual organisms in a population. 1. Exponential Growth o Population grows extremely rapidly and at a Factors that Govern Population Size: constant rate. 1. Crude Birth Rate (CBR) o Factors influencing exponential growth: 2. Crude Death Rate (CDR) ▪ Number of offspring produced 3. Immigration ▪ Likelihood of survival to reproductive age 4. Emigration ▪ Duration of reproductive period ▪ Length of time to reach maturity Factors that Govern Population Size 2. Logistic Growth Natality o Starts with exponential growth but slows o Birthrate: The ratio of total live births to total down due to limitations such as: population in a particular area over a ▪ Scarcity of space, food, water, or specified period. environmental factors. Mortality o Death rate: The ratio of the total number of SURVIVORSHIP CURVES deaths to the total population. A way to characterize a population based on how the chances of survival change with age. IMMIGRATION 1. Type I Curve The number of organisms moving into an area o Individuals are likely to live out their occupied by the population. potential lifespan. 2. Type II Curve EMIGRATION o Mortality rates are constant throughout The number of organisms moving out of the area all age classes. occupied by the population. 3. Type III Curve o Mortality rates are highest for the Factors that Increase Population Size: youngest cohorts. 1. Natality is recruitment to a population through reproduction. POPULATION DENSITY 2. Immigration from an external population (e.g., Measurement of the number of people in an bird migration). area, typically expressed as people per square Factors Reducing Population Size: kilometer. 1. Mortality (death rate from any source, e.g., predation). Formula: o Reasons: ▪ Members don’t frequently interact. LIMITING FACTORS Factors that cause a population to decrease. MEASUREMENTS OF DENSITY 1. Density-Dependent Factors 1. Total Count Method o Depend on population size. o Possible for a few animals. o Examples: o Example: Human population census. ▪ Mutualism 2. Sampling Method ▪ Parasitism o Depends on the organism's abundance ▪ Competition and distribution. 2. Density-Independent Factors o Two broad categories: o Affect all populations regardless of size. 1. Plot-based (Quadrat) Methods o Examples: 2. Capture-based Methods ▪ Natural disasters ▪ Weather SAMPLING METHOD ▪ Human activities 1. Quadrat Sampling Method o Widely used in plant studies. COMMUNITY INTERACTIONS o Formula: A community in ecology is the biotic component of an ecosystem. Consists of populations of different species that 2. Mark-Recapture Method live in the same area and interact. o Used for very mobile or elusive species. Interactions are important biotic factors in o Formula: natural selection. Predation A relationship where one species (predator) Where: consumes another species (prey). o N is the estimate number of individuals 1. True Predation o M is the number of individuals captured o Predator kills its prey. and marked 2. Grazing o C is the number captured the second time o Predator eats part of prey but rarely kills o R is the number recaptured it. POPULATION DISPERSION Keystone Species The pattern of spacing among individuals within A predator that plays a crucial role in the the geographic boundaries. ecosystem. 1. Clumped Dispersion Example: Sea stars in coral reef communities. o Individuals are aggregated in patches. o Reasons: Adaptations to Predation ▪ Habitat suitability varies Both predators and prey evolve adaptations. ▪ Offspring tend to stay with 1. Camouflage parents o Helps prey blend into their ▪ Social behavior environment. 2. Uniform Dispersion 2. Mimicry o Evenly spaced distribution, often due to o Prey mimic other dangerous animals. competition for resources. Competition o Examples: Relationship where organisms compete for ▪ Creosote bushes limited resources. ▪ Desert lizards 1. Intraspecific Competition 3. Random Dispersion o Within the same species. o Spacing pattern based on total 2. Interspecific Competition unpredictability. o Between different species. Symbiotic Relationships CARRYING CAPACITY (K) 1. Mutualism The maximum population size that a particular o Both species benefit. environment can sustain indefinitely without o Example: Lichen (fungus and alga). being degraded. 2. Commensalism Once the population reaches carrying capacity, o One species benefits, the other is growth rates slow, and the population stabilizes. unaffected. Carrying capacity depends on the availability of 3. Parasitism resources such as food, water, shelter, and o One species benefits at the expense of space. the other. POPULATION DYNAMICS ECOLOGICAL SUCCESSION Refers to the changes in the size, structure, and Occurs after a disturbance creates unoccupied distribution of populations over time. areas for colonization. Factors influencing population dynamics 1. Primary Succession include birth rates, death rates, immigration, o Occurs in areas that have never been emigration, and environmental factors. colonized before, like bare rock after a volcanic eruption. Types of Population Fluctuations: 2. Secondary Succession 1. Stable populations: Fluctuate slightly o Occurs in areas that were previously above and below carrying capacity. inhabited but disturbed. 2. Irruptive populations: Experience sudden population spikes followed by Climax Communities crashes. The final stage of succession, where a 3. Cyclic populations: Show regular community becomes stable and biodiverse. boom-and-bust cycles. POPULATION REGULATION HUMAN POPULATION GROWTH Populations are regulated through a Human population growth has been exponential combination of biotic (living) and abiotic (non- over the past centuries due to advances in living) factors. These factors influence medicine, agriculture, and technology. population size by affecting birth rates, death Growth rate has slowed in recent decades due rates, immigration, and emigration. to family planning, economic changes, and Two primary categories: societal shifts in many regions. 1. Density-Dependent Factors However, the global human population is still o These factors become more intense as the growing and poses significant challenges to population density increases. resource availability, environmental o Examples: sustainability, and social development. ▪ Competition for resources (food, space, etc.) DEMOGRAPHY ▪ Predation: Larger populations provide The study of population statistics and trends, more prey for predators. such as birth rates, death rates, age structure, ▪ Disease and Parasitism: More dense and migration. populations allow diseases to spread Key demographic measures: more easily. 1. Birth rate (number of live births per 2. Density-Independent Factors 1,000 individuals per year) o Factors that affect populations regardless 2. Death rate (number of deaths per 1,000 of their density. individuals per year) o Examples: 3. Fertility rate (average number of ▪ Natural disasters (floods, fires, children born to a woman during her hurricanes) lifetime) ▪ Climate and weather changes 4. Infant mortality rate (number of deaths ▪ Human disturbances (deforestation, of infants under 1 year of age per 1,000 pollution, etc.) live births)  5. Life expectancy (average number of BIODIVERSITY AND ECOSYSTEM SERVICES years a person can expect to live) Biodiversity refers to the variety of life on Earth, including species diversity, genetic diversity, and AGE STRUCTURE DIAGRAMS ecosystem diversity. Also known as population pyramids, these Ecosystem services are the benefits humans diagrams visually represent the distribution of receive from ecosystems, including: individuals in different age groups in a 1. Provisioning services: Food, water, population. and other resources. Three main types: 2. Regulating services: Climate 1. Expansive: Broad base, indicating a regulation, water purification, and flood large proportion of young people (rapid control. growth). 3. Supporting services: Soil formation, 2. Constrictive: Narrow base, indicating nutrient cycling, and pollination. fewer young people (declining 4. Cultural services: Aesthetic, population). recreational, and spiritual benefits. 3. Stationary: Relatively equal proportions across age groups (stable HUMAN IMPACT ON THE ENVIRONMENT population). Human activities such as deforestation, urbanization, industrialization, and agriculture DEMOGRAPHIC TRANSITION MODEL (DTM) have significant effects on the environment. Describes population changes over time in Main types of human impact: response to economic and social development. 1. Habitat loss and fragmentation: Due to Four (sometimes five) stages of demographic land conversion for agriculture, urban transition: development, and infrastructure projects. 1. Stage 1: Pre-Industrial – High birth rates 2. Pollution: Air, water, and soil pollution from and high death rates, resulting in slow industrial processes, agriculture, and population growth. transportation. 2. Stage 2: Transitional – Death rates drop 3. Climate change: Global warming caused by due to better living conditions, while the release of greenhouse gases, leading to birth rates remain high, leading to rapid rising temperatures, changing weather population growth. patterns, and sea level rise. 3. Stage 3: Industrial – Birth rates start to 4. Overexploitation of resources: decline, and population growth slows. Unsustainable harvesting of resources such 4. Stage 4: Post-Industrial – Both birth as fish, timber, and minerals. rates and death rates are low, leading to 5. Invasive species: Non-native species stable or slowly declining populations. introduced into new environments, 5. (Stage 5): Some models include this outcompeting native species and disrupting stage, where birth rates fall below ecosystems. replacement levels, leading to population decline. CONSERVATION AND SUSTAINABILITY Conservation efforts focus on preserving ECOLOGICAL FOOTPRINT biodiversity, protecting endangered species, and A measure of the demand placed on Earth’s maintaining ecosystem services. ecosystems by human populations in terms of Sustainability involves meeting the needs of the the amount of land and water area required to present without compromising the ability of provide the resources consumed and to absorb future generations to meet their own needs. the wastes generated. Sustainable practices include: Factors contributing to ecological footprint: 1. Reducing resource consumption o Energy consumption 2. Promoting renewable energy o Food and water consumption 3. Conserving water and energy o Waste production and pollution 4. Reducing waste and pollution o Land use and resource extraction 5. Protecting natural habitats and promoting biodiversity