The word "economy"

The word "economy" - how do you feel about it?
 

Do you perceive a dichotomy between the idea of “ecology” on the one hand, and that of an “economy” on the other?
That, while the latter is characterised by formulas and hard-nosed calculations, the former is characterised by balance, and sensitivity to one’s surroundings?

 
 

Well, there is a certain dichotomy, just as a coin has two sides. Still, they are part of the same thing and there may be even something that connects both sides, being it the rim (on the surface) or the substance. Each side gives you a certain info about what we perceive as a coin.
Once you dig into ecology, you are being faced with a hard-on field of science, which can scrutinize on every form of organisational structures, may they be “natural” or man-made. I think both terms are nowaday loaded with a lot of clichés, for ecology being it the law of sustainability, whereas it is the mere attempt to describe natural organisational structures. And for economy the concept of being all about money and growth in contrast to its attempt to postulate laws of behaviour of individuals/groups. But as soon as we leave the clichés behind, the line that divides both fields becomes narrow. In fact so narrow, that our coin might actually become a ball. I have no hard feelings about the word “economy”, just about what people put into it (the same about “ecology”).

 
   

Hi nemo (Is it ok to refer to you as ‘nemo’? It’s less typing :-D)

I’m not especially hung up about terminology.
Sometimes semantics can be important though.

To me, the word ecology implies balance, homeostasis, feedback systems and cyclic paradigms.
The word economy, to a certain extent, implies the opposite.

I take your point though: sometimes the distinction is not clear.