This is a living document — the definitions here are not meant to be definitive, but rather serve as a place where the ideas explicated through the pages of this blog can find refuge. This list is not exhaustive, but contains the foundational ideas and frameworks found throughout this blog.
Anthropocene
The geological designation for the “Age of Humankind.” While it was initially proposed as a way of designating the period in which humanity has become the dominant driver of biospheric change, this definition was rejected by geologists. Ecologists continue to rely on this concept, though now with a keen eye to the various ways humans have shaped our environment across time.
Anthroposphere
The socio-cultural and biophysical manifold within which human ecology is reproduced. The construction of the Anthroposphere may be the most adequate definition for the Anthropocene.
Autopoesis
From the greek auto-, meaning ‘self’, poiesis, meaning ‘creation’ or ‘production’. Autopoesis is a term in systems theory which describes how dynamic and evolved systems work to create and maintain themselves. Autopoesis is connected to cybernetics when describing how agents shaping their environment to support their own internal balance.
Biology
The scientific study of life.
Book
A written document that uses narrative to convey a web of relationships, values, and identities. Capitalized, Book often refers to Torah, but also can refer to the Book of Life, or the World. In Judaism, the Book is the central to locus of Jewish identity, connecting us to our ancestors and to G-d.
Cerebral
An adjective used to describe the mental or intellectual aspects of a being, ie. cognitive.
Chai
The Hebrew word for “life.” Used as a noun and a verb.
Chaiah
A derivative of the Hebrew word for “life”, used to denote life’s spiritual aspect.
Coexistence
Existing together. Coexistence is a fact of life — for all living beings, existence is coexistence.
Cognitive
An adjective used to describe the self-reflexivity and awareness of an entity, ie. cerebral.
Community
A group of individuals in a physical, emotional, and/or political relationship with one another, whose actions and social positionality reflect belonging to an identified group. Can be further specified into personal, exclusive or extensive.
Corporeal
An adjective that describes the embodied and physical aspects of a being.
Cosmos/Universe/Nature
A word signifying the Divine Whole, infinite and eternal, coextensive with G-d. Despite many names, G-d is found in every being, emerging through our lives, relationships, and the unfolding of history. Our understanding of G-d is only possible through the interconnectedness by which creation emanates from divinity and divinity emerges in creation.
Cosmology
A story about creation. Traditionally, cosmologies are constructed through two interconnected stories - the story of the creation of the Universe, and the story of the creation of humankind. Through cosmologies, values and identities are reinforced and naturalized.
Cybernetics
Derived from the Greek word kybernetes, meaning "steersman" (or metaphorically "guide, governor"). Cybernetics is the transdisciplinary study of how agents interact with tools and systems to shape themselves and their environment. Conceptually intertwined with the biological systems theory of autopoesis.
Diaspora
A word coined by (and for) Jews in Alexandria, describing the dispersal of a culture from its place of origin and the subsequent diversification and place-making that results. Diaspora is a key part of the evolution of humankind.
Ecologist
An individual who works to take responsibility for their impact on the wider ecosystem in which they live. This can include work aimed at communicating the ways our lives are interconnected with the lives of others, or directly working to benefit the wider ecological community.
Ecology
The study of the home, grounded in examining the relationship between organisms and their environment. One lens through which biology can be explored.
Environment/World
The place, bound by limits in space and time, within which Life unfolds. The world differs from the World through the detached nature of humankind from the former, compared to the conceptualized belonging and Wholeness of the latter.
Evolution
The process of qualitative change in a continuously iterated system. Evolution drives the formation of all life and culture, generally in a reciprocally causal way.
Halakhah
Literally, the Hebrew word for “way.” Generally refers to the whole of Jewish law – including the strictures and norms, rules and obligations customarily adhered to by “Halakhic” Jews. The Torah and the Talmud are the primary sources of these laws.
Home
The place in which a being feels a sense of belonging, comfort, and attachment; and within which one’s needs are provided. The scale through which we feel “at home” depends upon our broader environment, but can as narrow as our body or as broad as the whole Universe.
Homeland
A word that exists in association with an identified group, which recognizes the groups home to be inherently existing as a bounded entity in perpetuity. Homelands operate through the logic of nationalism, as they naturalize an area as belonging to a particular culture.
Israel
See Yisrael.
Judaism
A tradition born out of the conquest of the kingdoms of Judea and Israel, which began in its modern form through the compilation of written Torah and through the evolving discourse of the many generations of scholars who have deliberated and interpreted these words without a radical break.
Kabbalah
Literally, the Hebrew word for “connection”. Generally refers to Jewish mysticism, and particularly to the tradition which flowered first in 12th and 13th century Spain. Kabbalah, like all mysticism, seeks to represent the bridge between the infinity of G-d and the finitude of the world we experience.
Kaddish
A prayer praising G-d, generally said during transitionary periods as a way of grounding our connection to our ancestors. Generally said during periods of mourning, or during transitions during prayer services.
Language
A system of written or spoken symbols that signify particular meanings.
Life
That which sustains itself through engagement with the World. Life and be understood as something an individual possesses, or as bound to the whole of biological evolution, within which all organisms are a part — this is the difference between life and Life.
Love
A word which expresses the connection, commitment, and attunement between beings, which binds many into one, promoting a positive feeling care for others. For humans, love may best be understood as our capacity for extensive attachment.
Nation
A group bound together through a shared language, a shared history, a shared connection to place; and most fundamentally, a shared sense of group belonging. A nation finds its fullest expression in the nation-state, a political body which claims to express the will of the nation.
Nefesh
Literally, a Hebrew word for “soul”, used to denote its physical manifestation; encompassing the biological processes which create the organic body.
Neshama
Literally, a Hebrew word for “soul”, used to denote its intellectual or conscious form.
Niche
A biological/ecological concept used to describe the whole environment (including all essential resources) for a species, organism, or culture. Many definitions have been proposed, yet none are all sufficiently expansive to be applied of all Life.
Niche Construction
The process by which an organism or species shapes its environment to benefit its self and/or its offspring. Niche construction can occur through many means, including (but not limited to) habitat selection, environmental modification, cosmology, and relationship building.
Neighbor
A familiar individual whose home connects to one’s own. Who is or is not considered one’s neighbor is rooted in one’s social, cultural, and historical context.
Reductionism
The belief that the nature of a thing can be reduced to the natures and interactions of its constituent parts. This has long been the default assumption of modern science, though it has been challenged by systems theory and other theories of emergence.
Responsibility
The ability to respond with the whole of one’s self. A responsibility can be acquired through social roles and obligations, though they arises naturally when we understand our place in relation to others, and act from a place of love.
Ruach
Literally, a Hebrew word for “spirit”. Ruach is the emotional connection which we share with others, in every exchange, with our very presence.
Scientism
The dogmatic belief that science is the only valid source of valid knowledge.
Spirituality
Any system or approach to relating to others and the world which emphasizes the interconnectedness of all, and is open to the immaterial connections between people and nature. Here on Jewish Ecology, spirituality takes the form of an integrative naturalism rooted in a creative approach Jewish ideas.
Systems Theory
The transdisciplinary study of complex systems (understood to be cohesive collections of interrelated and interdependent parts). Importantly, systems are more than the sum of their parts, and display emergent properties.
Technology
The totality of tools used by a group to comprehend, engage with, and manipulate the World. Through their construction, use, and creative potential, we are intimately connected to our technology.
Torah
Literally, the Hebrew word for “teachings” or “instructions.” Generally refers to the five books traditionally believed to be delivered to Moses at Sinai. Jewish scripture also includes the books of the prophets and other writings, collectively compiled in the Tanakh. Torah is often extended, sometimes including all the teachings, writings, deeds, and relationships of Jews
Yisrael
A verb, meaning “to struggle with G-d”. As I write in ‘The Origins of Jewish Ecology’, “to be Israel is to struggle with G-d and one’s community, and to emerge evermore understanding, wise, and compassionate”. Yisrael as a name stems from the story of Jacob, patriarch of the 13 tribes, and has since come to be an identity label for Jewish people. There are numerous forms of Yisrael, each distinct, yet all historically interrelated:
Am Yisrael - The People of Israel, the ancestors of Jacob.
Eretz Yisrael - The Land of Israel, also known as Palestine.
Torat Yisrael - The Teachings of Israel, see Torah.
Medinat Yisrael - The Nation-State of Israel, often just called Israel
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