ado x : ▁ ▁All ▁the ▁advantages ▁that ▁man ▁has ▁gained ▁from ▁his ▁ever - deep ening ▁understanding ▁of ▁the ▁natural ▁world ▁that ▁surr ounds ▁him , ▁his ▁techn ological , ▁chemical ▁and ▁medical ▁progress , ▁all ▁of ▁which ▁should ▁seem ▁to ▁alle vi ate ▁human ▁suffering ... ▁tends ▁instead ▁to ▁favor ▁human ity ' s ▁destruction ▁ ▁Lor enz ▁adopt s ▁an ▁e colog ical ▁model ▁to ▁attempt ▁to ▁grasp ▁the ▁mechan isms ▁behind ▁this ▁contradiction . ▁Thus ▁" all ▁species ... ▁are ▁adapted ▁to ▁their ▁environment ... ▁including ▁not ▁only ▁in organ ic ▁components ... ▁but ▁all ▁the ▁other ▁living ▁be ings ▁that ▁inhab it ▁the ▁local ity ." ▁p 3 1 . ▁ ▁Fund amental ▁to ▁Lor enz ' s ▁theory ▁of ▁e col ogy ▁is ▁the ▁function ▁of ▁negative ▁feedback ▁mechan isms , ▁which , ▁in ▁hier arch ical ▁fashion , ▁d amp en ▁imp uls es ▁that ▁occur ▁beneath ▁a ▁certain ▁threshold . ▁The ▁th resh olds ▁themselves ▁are ▁the ▁product ▁of ▁the ▁interaction ▁of ▁contrast ing ▁mechan isms . ▁Thus ▁pain ▁and ▁pleasure ▁act ▁as ▁checks ▁on ▁each ▁other : ▁ ▁To ▁gain ▁a ▁desired ▁pre y , ▁a ▁dog ▁or ▁w olf ▁will ▁do ▁things ▁that , ▁in ▁other ▁context s , ▁they ▁would ▁sh y ▁away ▁from : ▁run ▁through ▁th orn ▁bush es , ▁jump ▁into ▁cold ▁water ▁and ▁expose ▁themselves ▁to ▁ris ks ▁which ▁would ▁normally ▁fright en ▁them . ▁All ▁these ▁in hib itory ▁mechan isms ... ▁act ▁as ▁a ▁counter weight