Re-writing the ecological metaphor, Part 2: the example of diversity Online publication date: Fri, 09-Jun-2006
by Peter E. Wells, Lauren Darby
Progress in Industrial Ecology, An International Journal (PIE), Vol. 3, No. 1/2, 2006
Abstract: As the discipline has expanded, so questions have been asked of the limits to the industrial ecology metaphor and its status, by some of the practitioners, as an objective science. Moreover, the emergence of industrial ecology into the policy arena has inevitably presaged normative considerations over the integration of social, political, organisational and cultural factors for the discipline. That is, as with any other arena of scientific endeavour, industrial ecology is subject to mediation via discourses that can result in substantive 'revolutions' in the content and boundaries of the discipline. These revolutions tend to occur when the prevailing approach is unable to resolve increasingly critical dilemmas or problems. This paper seeks to contribute to the industrial ecology discourse by giving consideration to the extension of the underlying metaphor, using the specific example of (bio) diversity to suggest a new and broader set of economic structures and relationships and a more critical perspective that could be brought into the realm of the discipline.
Existing subscribers:
Go to Inderscience Online Journals to access the Full Text of this article.
If you are not a subscriber and you just want to read the full contents of this article, buy online access here.Complimentary Subscribers, Editors or Members of the Editorial Board of the Progress in Industrial Ecology, An International Journal (PIE):
Login with your Inderscience username and password:
Want to subscribe?
A subscription gives you complete access to all articles in the current issue, as well as to all articles in the previous three years (where applicable). See our Orders page to subscribe.
If you still need assistance, please email subs@inderscience.com
Our Blog 
Follow us on Twitter 
Visit us on Facebook