Mesology

Mesology (Ancient Greek μέσος, mésos "middle" and -λογια -logia "branch of study") is a former term for the science ecology – the study of the mutual relationships between living creatures and their biological, social, and environmental surroundings. (Not to be confused with mesology as being "the study of ways of achieving happiness".[1])

History

The term mesology was introduced by the English color theorist and philosopher George Field (1777–1854) in a book published in 1839, Outlines of Analogical Philosophy.[2] The term was later discussed in 1860 in a book by Louis-Adolphe Bertillon. Similar in spirit to Field's interpretation, Bertillon's aim was to create a branch of biology that would describe the relationship between the environment and the organisms living inside it. Bertillon derived the concept from the French expression, with the same meaning, "Science des milieux" (science of environment).[3] Later, he expanded the concept towards sociology.

Today the word mesology is mainly used in the French language[4] or Portuguese language.[5] In English, the form most often used is ecology (introduced in 1866 by Ernst Haeckel), which is the preferred term.

References
  1. meaning of "mesology" TheFreeDictionary mesology (online), The Free Dictionary, 2013. Vizited: 2013-03-05.
  2. Field, George (1839). Outlines of Analogical Philosophy: Being a Primary View of the Principles, Relations and Purposes of Nature, Science and Art (2 vols.). London: Tilt. p. 10–17.
  3. Toepfer, Georg (2011). Historisches Wörterbuch der Biologie (in German). 2. Stuttgart: Metzler. pp. 681, 706. ISBN 978-3-476-02318-6.
  4. Schäfer, Matthias. Wörterbuch der Ökologie (in German) (4 ed.). Spektrum. p. 199.
  5. Vieira, Waldo (2012) [1996]. "5". Nossa Evolução (in Portuguese) (3 ed.). Foy do Iguaçu, Brazil: Editares. p. 33. ISBN 978-85-98966-58-8.
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