We all have two different roles in two distinctive systems; one in ecosystem as we are organisms

and one in economic system as we are humans. In ecosystem, its controlled by the Natural
Selection which Charles Darwin theorized hundreds years ago. The rule here is simple, the one
that fits to the environment the most survives and thus is able to pass its gene to its descendant
(Than). On the other side, economic system is managed by Adam Smiths Invisible Hand (which
was theorized before Darwins around 50 years). This, instead of dealing with the issue of living or
dying, deals with the matter of price and quantity selling and buying in the market (Kishtainy
56-61). Though both systems deal with different issues, economic system and natural selection are
incredibly similar in many ways; the role of each unit in the system, the sturcture of the system and
the procedure of managing the system.
To begin with, first, considering the general idea of ecosystem compare with economic system, we
can see that the role of each small unit in both systems has very similar role. Somebody may
argue that these two systems are not relevant at all but I think that at least we all live in both as
one unit of the two systems. As we already know, from our biology and economic class (or text
book) that when we talk about a unit in ecosystem, we talk about each organism (at this point we
mean we are human) while we talk about a unit in economic system, we mean each individual (and
at this point we mean buyer, seller, producer, etc.). And what each unit do in the system? The
answer is simple. Each units duty is to decide for its best. Each unit has ability to decide for what it
desires for and makes its own movement. This idea obviously appears in both system; we try to
survive that is the best in the term of biology (Hall). In the same way, we try to get the highest
satisfaction that is the best in term of economics (Chutiwong 12). In short, both systems comprise
of small units that their duties are decide and persue for their best.
At this point we can generally see that both systems are comprised of each small unit living
together (of course, it cannot be a system if there is only one unit living alone) and having
connection to each other. We have prey and predator in ecosystem while we have the gainer and
the loser in economic realm. We have family, which are the organisms who contain similar genetic
data to us, in our biological life while when we go to work, we have market partner, the company
and so on. Both systems here dont only both comprise of small units but each unit in both systems
also has a connection with other too.
Moreover, we dont have only connection with only one unit that we most related or closed to in the
systems. We have connection with many units in the systems and each connection is differ from
others. We can see that this is true from somethings that we are very used to them such as food
web (National Geographic). We can see that its absolutely messy with many cross lines showing
the connections. We can see it from the company structure too. If one is a worker in the company,
it doesnt only state that he is the worker of this company but he is the head of some workers and
also the subordinate of some too. Thus, as each unit has connections with many units which also
have connections with many other units too, economic system and also ecosystem become very
complex system.
Since each units role is to decide for its best independently and since that unit lives in a very
complex system, we cannot act and assume that it is not effect anyone at all. We are also
influenced by other units in the systems and in the other hand, we also influence other unit too.
This notion presents well in both systems. We can choose the mate according to our own
interesting and satisfaction but it also mean that the partner we choose cannot mate to the others
(at that moment) and thus we effect other units who may mate to the partner we choose if we dont
exist. Thats mean the one that miss the chance to mate with our current mate has to find others
(and therefore cut somebody elses chance too) or generally give up (and miss the chance to pass
down the genes). Likewise, in economic realm, when we decide to consume something, it is fully
our right to do so but that also means opportunity cost (Kishtainy133) that others cannot consume
this good that we comsume and thus the one who miss this opportunity has to find other things to
consume instead and cause the opportunity cost again. This notion likes a butterfly effect that
when the butterfly move its wing in one side of the world, the other side is effected too (Fractual
Foundation). One unit decides and acts its movement and that cause other movements of other

units in the system. In short, the overall movement of ecosystem is controlled by each unit
movement and is the same as in economic system.
Besides the similarity of each units roles in both systems, the structure of both systems are similar
too. First point is the group structure. We can see that many of the species live as a herd and
many different organisms funcion their lifes by sharing help and benefit as we call it commensalism
or in a higher level of depending, mutualism (Hall). In the same way, we also have association in
economic realm. We work as a company. We even have an association between countries. Its
very similar that in ecosystem and economic system both have the group structure in the systems.
Another structure that exists in both systems is class raking. In ecosystem, there is a relationship
between organisms that called food chain. The food chain shows how the organisms are related
with each other by the food they eat, starts from the producers and ending at apex predator
(National Geographic). Moreover, organisms in the same species also have the ranking that judge
by the stronger trait. This structure of food chain (and in each species) is similar to the class of
people in economic realm but instead of using the order to rank each unit, we use wealth to
determine what class the person is. Moreover, the class doesnt only determine the rank of each
unit in the system, but it also determines the possibility of each unit to get what they want in order
to survive in nature or in order to fullfill ones satisfaction in market realm. In addition to the butterfly
effect of movement of each unit and because of the scarcity of resoures, all of that factors lead to
the competition between each unit to reach the highest rank in the system.
And if each unit in both economic system and ecosystem can decide to act on its own and the
butterfly effect in both systems means those decision made will effect the overall system, isnt it
going to be very messy because of the conflicts that causes by effect from other units movements
and because those conflicts cannot resolve? Now, its come to the role of Natural Selection in
ecosystem and invisible hand in economic system. Both systems are controlled by these factors
instead of one super powerful unit domineering over other units in the system. Its true that Natural
Selection and Invisible hand dont work and control the society in the same way, actually both are
absolutely different but interestingly, the general idea of how they function, what they do for their
systems and the most important point of both systems are the same.
The first part is how Natural selection and Invisible hand function. For Natural Selection, the key is
the adequacy of organisms considering to the environment.Because of the highest aim in the
nature is to survive, the one who fit to the environment the best is the one who survive and pass its
genetic data to the descendant and thus the descendant too have a better chance to survive
(Than). Similarly, Invisible hands key is the adequacy of supply and demand (Kishtainy 56-61). In
this case its not as directly control each unit as the natural selection does but because benefit of
each unit is effected by the change in demand and supply, each unit have to change their
behaviour according to the change in supply and demand. We can see now that both are
functioned by the desire and movement of overall systems and this can lead to the reason of why
both systems have to use this invisible procedure instead of having someone decides for
everything. Its because these procedures that functioned by every units desire will lead to the best
result for every unit.
The last question is how does these two procedures know exactly who in the system will recieve
what result and how many or how good it is? The answer is competition. Because competition
occurs from the class ranking structure of the systems, the result is, after the competition, the rank
is made. Thus, competition is the best way to determine that who is stronger in ecosystem and
thus means that this one is the best fit to the environment. Natural selection use competition to
determine whether one organisms should be able to pass its genetic data or not. This is also the
same idea in the economic system, the competition here is about who have the more ability to
purchase, that person wins and gets the satisfaction. Competition help both systems to rank the
class of each unit and therefore determine who will able to consume the goods and how many and
what quality one can consume according to its class in the system.

As we can see now,even though the details in natural selection and invisible hand are different
(they doesnt deal with the same aspect of the system), the big picture of them are the same. They
are the determination and movement of each unit in the system combine together. Additionally,
they function through the competition and result as the determinator of each unit possibility in its
system.
From all of these things, we can see that even ecosystem and economic system deal in the
different realms, they comprise of the small units that play similar role and their structures are the
same. The way both systems deal with their problem and how they remain their equilibrium are the
same idea too.
Besides from the idea that ecosystem and economic system are very similar, Its interesting too to
examine that the things that we persue in economic life usually relate to the idea of natural
selection. We try to get in the best college and get a job that makes high income in order to
ensures that we wont die because of famine. We tend to purchase on the goods and services that
benefit our quality of living in both inside and outside to increase percentage of survive and thus
ensure the ability to pass our genes down. Maybe economic system is not a system that human
create up by chance or intelligence but maybe it is just one product of the Natural Selection in the
Homosepian Species. Thats a question that we still cannot answer it but anyhow, knowing and
understand this can lead us to the higher step of understanding our world that we live in. And since
economic realm is similarity to the ecosystem, then we may be able to develope our system base
on the idea of nature to make our economic system more effective and sustainable.

Works cited
Chutiwong, Naratip. Microeconomics. Thailand: Economic Faculty of Chulalongkorn University,
2013. Print.
Fractual Foundation. Principle of Chaos. Web. 11 Mar. 2015.
Hall, Charles. Ecology. 26 Oct. 2014. Web. 11 Mar. 2015.
Kishtainy, Niall. The Economics Book. China: Leo Paper Products Ltd, 2012. Print.
National Geographic. Food Web. Web. 11 Mar. 2015.
Than, Ker. What is Darwin's Theory of Evolution? 7 Dec. 2012. Web. 11 Mar. 2015