Ecosophy and civilizational dynamics

The article deals with the role of biological diversity in the genesis of civilizations. In the framework of civilization theory the ecosophy is marked out as a method for studying a particular, relatively independent ecological horizon in the structure of local civilizations, which plays an important role in their functioning. The author compares the boundaries of "ecological civilizations" developed by N. Vavilov and J. Diamond with the boundaries of "cultural-linguistic associations" - the main centers of loanwords’ distribution. It is concluded, that it is important to study the ecosophy for understanding the phenomenon of civilization.