There is a tradition of reductionism rather than holism in science. At issue is how economics and ecology can be related to each other. Economics can be criticized for its monetary reductionism and it is argued that non-monetary impacts in a decision-situation should be described in non-monetary terms rather than being translated into some alleged monetary equivalent.
A distinction is made between flows and positions (or states) where a focus on changes in non-monetary positions is needed in analysis at all levels from the individual and local community to the national and global levels. Positional Analysis is recommended as alternative to neoclassical Cost-Benefit Analysis (CBA).