Individualism: A very common and influential ontology says that the world is composed of many independent entities. Each human being is an independent entity, striving to preserve its own existence at all costs. In its efforts to maintain its own existence and well-being, each human strives to accumulate the private possession of as many material entities as possible.
Holism: Many environmental philosophers argue that we need to change the way we think about ourselves, our existence and how we relate to our ecosystems and our fellow organisms. We need instead to recognize that we are integrated into the whole system, and that we are all dependent on one another.
