Abstract

A biological system can be defined as a collection of interacting elements, organised together with a common function(s). This framework can provide valuable insights into the problematic interactions between humanity and the rest of life on earth. Life is composed of a nested hierarchy of systems, united into a vastly complex, global system of ecosystems, the biosystem. The function of the biosystem and its components is the sustainable reproduction and evolution of life. Humans have many of their own systems, including a global, commercially oriented system of corporations and social structures, which we term the corposystem. A major aim of the corposystem is endless growth for profit, which depends on endless human population growth: not sustainable on a finite planet. These two global systems are clearly in direct conflict. To preserve the biosystem, including humanity, we must align the corposystem ethic with the reality of the biosystem’s needs.