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| Format: | Recurso digital |
| Language: | Italian |
| Published: |
Zenodo
2026
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.19596695 |
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Table of Contents:
- <p class="p1">This seminar addresses the theme of ecological limits by starting from a question that is as simple as it is elusive: why does our species struggle to recognize the material boundaries within which life on the planet unfolds? Through examples drawn from ecology — from the well-known story of the reindeer on St. Matthew Island to the case of the English butterflies — the presentation shows how ecosystems are governed by dynamics of growth, feedback, and collapse that are often counterintuitive.</p> <p class="p1">Building on these stories, the discussion broadens to the energetic and historical dimension of human civilization, linking population growth and increasing consumption to the availability of finite resources. The seminar then focuses on some key figures in the history of the idea of limits, from Marion King Hubbert to Aurelio Peccei and the Club of Rome, up to the systemic models developed in <em>World Dynamics</em> and <em>The Limits to Growth</em>, which anticipated many of today’s ecological challenges.</p> <p class="p1">In conclusion, the seminar offers a reflection on the so-called “Seneca effect”: the possibility that processes of decline may unfold much more rapidly than phases of growth. The guiding thread throughout is the idea that limits do not signify the absence of development, but rather constitute a structural condition of every complex system, both natural and human, and that the real challenge lies in recognizing them before they emerge in the form of crisis.</p>