Sustainable Agriculture and Food: Four volume set (Earthscan Reference Collections)

Table 20.2

Comparison of social attributes of first-generation global models

Meadows et al (1972)

Mesarovic and Pestel (1974)

Kahn, Brown and Martel (1976)

Goldsmith et al (1972)

LAWM

a^

Herrera et al (1976)

Leontief, Carter and Petri (1977)

USCEQ

b^

(1980)

Clark and Munn (1986)

Brown(1981)

Nature

Resources; waste sink; scarcity

Harmony; web of life; human survival; scarcity

Warehouse; conquer; monitor; manage

System; complexity; stable; self-regula-tory; predict-able

Resources

Economic factor; resources; waste sink; not limiting

Life support; resources

Garden; Gaia; resources

Harmony; resources

Human nature

Culture; creativity, incentive = improvement; basic good

Basic goods; can change; do right thing

Self-interest; incentive = struggle; satisfaction; test/stimulate; structure/purpose; engineered

Part of nature; adaptation; natural law; community; belonging

Not addressed; solidarity; progress

Not addressed; implied – Homo economus

Not addressed; implied – part of nature

Goodness; utilitarian

Rational; do right thing

Time

Mechanical; interval; open future; 70 years

Linear w/cycles; narrowing options; 50 years

Linear: sequential developing progress; slowing change

Not clear; critical point; industrialism as historical aberration

Linear; history open-ended and depends on human will; process as original

Linear

Linear; future as extrapola-tion of present; narrowing options

Linear; holistic

Linear

Valid modes of under-standing

Rational science; analyse, then manage; science engaged in morals

Holism; science; objective + subjective; science engaged; participation

Rational; engineering; objective; science; morality

Culturally determined; may be many; science serves ecosphere

Analytical; rational; economic models; ideology

Analytical; rational; economic models

Analytical models

Science; interdisci-plinary; surprises; linear argument for non-linearity

Rational