what is Ecological Orientation (EcO.)?

Ecological orientation is a philosophy of mind which takes cognition to be an activity present at all scales of life. The ecological includes the potentials and paths of any possible position–any plant, animal, or human; any cell, atom, or microbe, etc.. In essence, anything that has a trajectory that can be measured as time and space can be said to have a position that is ecological because it has movement that can be measured as spatial or temporal relative to other positions.

The ecological orientation is the overall dynamism of all positions, what we as humans are able to observe as various trajectories. We do this through measurements of space and time. We create various forms to do this, exemplified in terms such as

past, present and future

us, me, and them

near, here and far

and so on.

These are all relationships that express the ways we measure ecological orientation.

From the human position, we also create tools to help us try and better understand other positions. With the numerous tools and technologies we create–including everything from microscopes to movie–we come to better understand other nested positions. These may be positions that are part of us, such as our cells, tisseus or ograns. They may also be other nested positions that are bodies are part of, such as our families, communities and ecologies.

Our tools and their technologies add to and expand our sensory capabilities and help us sense and measure what is around us from positions other than our own. In doing so, we expand our understanding of ecological orientation, of the potential of life as we observe it.

The Ecological is the overall potential of all positions. It has no beginning or end. It has no absolutely determined trajectory. Still, each position is able to to observe a trajectory by way of its relation to others. This is how we are able to develop ecological orientation, to sense more of all we are part of, to observe it, and to become aware of it and share our own paths with others. We do this because it opens further and better potential for our mental and environmental health.