Philosophy of ecology of Justus von Liebig: different Liebig

Abstract

German chemist Justus von Liebig is known in the ecological literature as the author of Liebigs law of the minimum. But the law of the minimum is absent in his publications, which ecologists cite. The law is nothing more than an interpretation of some of Liebigs statements. However, irrespective of the law of the minimum, Liebigs outstanding contribution to the theory of ecology is obvious: Liebig was one of the first who drew attention to the sustainability of the phenomenon of life organized into supraorganismal systems. Liebig showed that as a result of the interaction of plants and animals and as a result of their life processes, such as nutrition and respiration, there is a continuous transformation of a substance consisting of the same elements. On the example of the constancy of the gas composition of the atmosphere, Liebig comes to a generalization that is crucial for ecology: the interaction of plants and animals is a factor of sustainability of their own environment, which they create themselves and support for an unlimited time in a stable state.

Keywords

• justus von liebig
• philosophy of ecology
• sustainability of the phenomenon of life
• law of the minimum