By Amir,on April 1st,2012 As it happens,I was also writing a philosophy paper in 2009 that touches on ideas of a universal,unified whole. Here’s a few paragraphs,that I’ll return to reflect on soon.In Buddhism,everything is divisible by zero. It’s our calculators and mathematicians that mislead us. Imagine holding a cut out of the digit zero with one hand on either end. Twist your hands in opposite directions,the center pinches in,and the zero becomes infinity. To me,that emptiness,the infinite zero,represents the permanence of impermanence;the stability in flux,the everything in the nothing. The only thing that’s essential about the universe is change. All things share transience as a common denominator. By embracing evanescence,it is said,we come closer to freeing ourselves from the illusory nature of the self. Life is energy conversion and biology is chemistry. We living ‘individuals’ think of ourselves as pretty special. No one would argue that a rock,for example,possesses a ‘self.’ But we are made up of the same stuff as rocks- boring,dead rocks. One might argue that as living creatures we are somehow above the rocks. But before our birth and after our death,we are nothing more than the ‘inanimate’ stuff that we attempt to distinguish as separate from and below our selves. And for those who view life as a miraculous or special occurrence,let us return to the analogy of the rock. When a volcano explodes,rocks take part in an awesome and powerful process,a product of the changing nature of the natural world. Life is just like that volcanic explosion- just another process in the never-ending flux of the universe. To isolate the living self is to distinguish a single glob of lava from the rest of a volcanic explosion. Before the eruption,that glob of lava was just a rock. After the eruption,that glob of lava will be just a rock. And so,before and after,but especially during life,we are a part of the natural world. It is a mistake on our part to consider our lives distinct from the rest of the universe,just as it would be mistake for a rock,taking part in an eruption,to distinguish itself as separate from the rest of the volcano. It is only when we jettison the illusion of the self and accept our interconnected place within the natural world that we will finally be able to find balance with the rest of the universe. By SeanW,on February 12th,2012 Here is a piece about integrating pluralistic and holistic into a more complete worldview I had written around May 2009 for a philosophy class. Accidentally rediscovered after lying fallow for some time,I will revisit this topic in more depth soon.
Monistic Pluralism &Pole Dichotomies The first of the seven characteristics of classical American philosophical thought is the ‘rejection of modern philosophy’ (Stuhr,3). The reason for rejecting the prior pattern of thought was that it was “fundamentally dualistic” and attempted to answer philosophical questions in terms of dichotomies. These dichotomies are not actual categories that exist separate of the object we are describing but rather descriptions that we create to contrast one to another. We say ‘either/or’ in attempts to understand that thing’s essence;at least in terms of its relationships to idealized signs (Stuhr,66). The pattern that emerges from this thought process is one of discrimination,separation,exclusion,and isolation where parts no longer constitute a whole but have an individuality that drives them apart. Philip Kapleau writes in the introduction to Zen Keys: “We are deceived by our limited five senses and discriminating intellect (the sixth sense in Buddhism) which conveys to us a picture of a dualistic world of self-and-other,of things separated and isolated …This picture is untrue because it barely scratches the surface. …For if we could see beyond the ever-changing forms into the underlying reality,we would realize that in essence there is nothing but harmony and unity” (Hahn,8).
This dualistic view of the world cannot give us a complete understanding because the mind does not function like a box with separate containers but more like a stream flowing with multidirectional currents (Stuhr,149). In opposition to this dualistic perspective,the classical American philosophy offers two seemingly opposite yet interrelated options:a monistic view and pluralistic view. The monistic belief is that the true nature of the universe is as a singularity;one wholeness that we are too limited to understand so we cling onto parts. Pluralism holds that because our experiences are unique to us as individuals that they are all equally valuable and equally real. As William James writes,“For pluralism,all that we are required to admit as the constitution of reality is what we ourselves find empirically realized in every minimum of finite life” (Stuhr,4). It is entirely possible for individuals to have pluralistically valid individual experiences while at the same time existing as part of an integrated whole. Jill Bolte Taylor,a neuro-anatomist explains how both dualistic and monistic thought are embedded within us. She presents a model where the left and right hemispheres of the brain have seemingly different personalities. While this lateralization of personalities within brain might be debated,her description of the left hemisphere fits with what William James calls The Tough-Minded while the right hemisphere is Tender-Minded. It is the left hemisphere,says Taylor,that is responsible for the ego and hence the duality of ‘I’ verses the ‘other’ while the right hemisphere has a tendency for a monistic view of being one with everything. Interestingly enough,she describes the ‘I’ to be solely concerned with past and future while the ‘we’ is solely in the now moment (Taylor). The ability to remember the past as a source of experience and foresee the future has very practical applications in terms of human survival. Unfortunately,this ability also leads to anxiety as we worry over possible outcomes. The ability to be ‘in the now’ can lead to internal peace and well-being. As James would agree,“we are actually multiple selves” functioning as one mutually interdependent being with “neurological unity” (Stuhr,142). Hegel is quoted as saying,“The aim of knowledge is to divest the objective world of its strangeness and to make us more at home in it” (Stuhr,153). But this raises the question of how do we become more comfortable in a world where increasing knowledge leads to greater separation and distinction and we become stranger and farther away from the world we live in. To use an analogy,it is as if we began to take a clock apart to see how it works. We began studying and cataloging all the parts and even figuring out how they relate to one another,but we became so engrossed in our work that by time we put the clock back together we forgot what its purpose was. Hegel speaks about this process: “[the object is] a totality in itself,while at the same time (as this identity is only the implicit identity of its dynamic elements) it is equally indifferent to its immediate unity. It thus breaks up into distinct parts,each of which is itself the totality. Hence the object is the absolute contradiction between a complete independence of the multiplicity,and the equally complete non-independence of the different pieces” (Hegel).
I think this idea was at least in part represented when Charles Sanders Peirce critiqued the Cartesian method of doubt- for to be absolutely certain of everything we know and feel would divest the universe of its purpose and meaning (Stuhr,45). The act of drawing boxes within our minds to categorize information can be a useful way to establish facts,however if we are not careful we may forget that we have the option to view the world as a unified whole. It is quite possibly because of an imbalance in the dichotomic equilibrium with the human character that we are facing the world crises we see today (although it could possibly also be accredited as to why we are around today). The aim is for the observing mind to see the universe as a unified whole while simultaneously being able to make the distinctions that enable survival. Such a method combining monism with pluralism may lead to the ability for a richer understanding. Works Cited Hahn,Thich Naht. Zen Keys. Garden City NY:Doubleday,2005. Hegel,Georg. “Hegel,The Notion,Part B. The Object.”Encyclopedia of Philosophical Sciences. 13 Mar 2009 <http://www.marxists.org/reference/archive/hegel/works/sl/slobject.htm>. Stuhr,John J. (Ed.). (2000). Pragmatism and Classical American Philosophy. New York,NY:Oxford University Press. Taylor,Jill Bolte. “My Stroke of Insight.”TED 229Mar 2008 13 Mar 2009 <http://www.ted.com/talks/view/id/229>. By SeanW,on February 9th,2012 By SeanW,on January 30th,2011  (Permitted Habitats by Richard Pell) Here is a very interesting time-lapse infographic illustrating the release of GMO crops into field trials across the country from 1987-2008. On the top right select “Phenotype”to see what the specific engineered enhancements for each crop are. Pruned compares this to watching a WeatherChannel-esq time-lapse history of transgenic storms deluging the nation.
http://www.postnatural.org/permitted_habitats.html
By Amir,on August 7th,2010 I stumbled upon this comic online today called “Part of Nature,”by Stuart McMillen,that relates to my previous post. I highly recommend a look at it in its entirety here. The comic begins by condemning resource exploitation,observing that “we created an economy that does not value the free services of nature and so we destroy it.”“We have exploited natural systems to the point of collapse”and “we are no longer living off nature’s interest,we are liquidating its capital.”We consume naturally replenishing resources so rapidly that they lose their ability to replenish. We’re ruining a good thing. “We sell natural resources at their extraction cost,not their replacement value.”When parts of nature,like wood and oil,become commodities,traders are eager to make a profit off of their investment. But they fail to take into account the shared universal investment that the rest of life on Earth has put into that resource. Whether trees or petroleum,the cost of extraction represents just a tiny percent of the time and energy that has gone into the creation of that given ‘commodity,’not to mention the amount of time and energy that it would take to replace that tree or especially that petroleum reserve. The comic ends with:“We must stop viewing the environment as being separate to our economy. We must realize that the environment is at the core of our society and economy. It is time we understand that we are a part of nature. Only then can the change begin.” What a great rally cry for sustainable efforts. The stance I defended in my last post is that humans are a part of nature in the sense that everything we do is natural. Living things naturally interact with and manipulate their environments and humans are no exception. But I also agree with the point that Stuart McMillen makes in this comic. We are part of nature,but many of us forget this. And it is by those who have forgotten this that many of the the senselessly destructive means of production are carried out. There is no good reason that human beings are not living sustainably today. We have the knowledge,but lack the action. It can and should be happening. But it’s not nature that is at stake here. It’s us. No,it’s not nature that I’m worried about. Nature has and will go on without us. It’s humans that are in trouble. But we can and should change that. By Amir,on July 22nd,2010 evil in nature?When some people watch a nature show in which a predator is shown hunting and catching its prey,they may tend to root for the prey. But the lion will starve and die if she doesn’t catch her gazelle. And so will her cubs. Not to mention,without predators,an ecosystem falls apart. Were lions unable to catch gazelle anymore,the gazelle population would experience an initial increase,after which their food sources will have been overgrazed,and the entire gazelle population would face serious decline. Bottom line:the lion hunting the gazelle is just as important for the gazelle as it is for the lion. It’s nature,and it seems to work itself out. The relationship between lion and gazelle is natural,and so it seems wrong to apply morality to the interaction. Now think of parasites. When we learn about parasites in biology class,we almost immediately identify them as villains. It seems almost impossible to consider a parasite,whether a human harming microbe or a tree killing vine,to be beneficial to the environment. However,if we consistently respect natural systems we find that parasites,too,are amoral (not immoral) and thus it is wrong to label parasites as ‘evil.’ nature manipulating nature How far can this train of logic take us? Let us first think of ant hills and termite mounds. These structures,gigantic relative to the size of the animals building them,would not appear on their own. Ambitious ants or termites manipulated the environment and constructed them. This is especially apparent in the case of leaf cutter ants,who build complicated subterranean ventilation systems to sustain their mushroom farms (which is what motivates them to gather all that grass). Still,since the ants and termites are animals,their functions are inherently natural and so,again,we must come to the conclusion that,however complex,an anthill or termite mound is natural;it fits within the world alongside the lion and the parasite as neither good nor bad. It simply is. So,then,what of man-made skyscrapers? What of subway tunnels and bridges and apartment complexes? Aren’t these just human anthills and termite mounds? Humanity’s spiderwebs? Are we not naturally inclined to construct shelters,and should this practice not develop and evolve over time? the bridge from morality People who wish to ascribe morality to humans but not other animals generally make the argument that humans should know better;that unlike our many,diverse animal neighbors,humans alone should be held liable for their actions. But what if this is human arrogance? What if we aren’t in as much control as we all like to think? What if,despite our astonishing cognitive abilities for abstraction,synthesis,and analysis,humans still belong grouped in with the rest of the animal kingdom? Is this such a preposterous question to ponder? If one incorporates humans into the rest of the animal kingdom,as natural agents of change,then it would follow that the advances of human technology, all of the construction and destruction attributed to humans,are all natural. As counter-intuitive as it may seem,perhaps a city is nothing more than a renovated ant colony,and factories our hives. Perhaps humans aren’t as detached from nature as they think,even when they live isolated from what most people would associate with the word nature. Above is not an argument against morality in general. The question of individual human morality can be discussed another time. Instead,the question at hand is whether the human race,as a whole,can be held accountable for its impact on the world. If humans are just another part of nature,then any cataclysms attributed to our species should be considered natural disasters. Maybe humanity is one of the worst plagues to hit the planet,but it’s still a natural plague. If our species is parasitic by nature,then let us be parasitic,but that’s not a bad thing necessarily,it’s just nature. a cyanobacterial allegory Cyanobacteria has been on this planet for as many as 4 billion years. When the first forms of this very early life form appeared on the Earth,the landscape was a vast ocean polka-dotted with volcanic activity. There was no oxygen in the atmosphere. And the cyanobacteria were doing just fine the way things were. However,when these little organisms converted sunlight into usable energy,the oxygen molecules in the water were released into the atmosphere. Overtime,the Earth’s atmosphere was transformed into one rich with oxygen. The cyanobacteria brought on environmental change on a massive scale. As a result of the oxygen introduced into the atmosphere,the cyanobacteria that had made up the majority of life on planet was pushed aside by new oxygen breathing organisms. Now the form of cyanobacteria that was responsible for the drastic change in the environment is restricted to places where the evolutionarily younger ‘oxygen-generation’of life can’t go. But good thing,because if it weren’t for that cyanobacteria ruining its environment and leading itself towards near extinction,there would have never been dinosaurs or blue whales or humans. And so when humans change the environment and make it less livable or drive other species to extinction,well its not much different than what has been going on for the passed 4 billion years. My point is that,when you humble the human,when you look at the human as just another clumsy animal,the apparent follies of humanity become less appalling. Who knows if down the road,a species will be celebrating the climate change we brought on,just as we can celebrate the cyanobacteria’s drastic influence on the atmosphere. By Amir,on June 15th,2010 The world as we know it is currently covered in invisible lines. Sometimes these lines follow rivers or trace mountain ranges;sometimes they’re straight,drawn to mirror other invisible lines that are measured in degrees. We also like to imagine coloring in these invisible lines,to differentiate them on maps of the Earth. 
Sometimes the lines have fences tracing them;and sometimes the lines leave no trace at all. But whether visible or otherwise,these imaginary lines form the very real borders of very real nations. And being born on one side or the other of these lines can have a dramatic effect on the quality of life one is able to experience. This begs the question:what are these things we call nations? And what does it mean to be a certain nationality? What is the significance of nationalism,that it trumps all other categories (race,ethnicity,religion,class,age,etc.) ? Often considered a birth right,though at times attainable via some bureaucratic procedure,nationality is perhaps the most recently developed aspect of human identity and,at present,plays a huge part in the way we identify ourselves and others. Maybe my interest stems from growing up with a foreign name in America. I became accustomed to the curious “so,what (nationality) are you?”One learns early on that when an American asks another American what nationality they are,the party asking is never satisfied with the obvious answer,“American.” As if,American or not,there must be an affiliation to another nation found beneath the American. Or rather than beneath,along side. Italian anthropologist Sandra Bussatta (1996) used the example of the hyphenated-American,(African-American,Italian-American,etc.) to challenge the theory of a melting pot sentiment in the United States. But something makes the Italian-Americans and African-Americans both Americans. What is it that joins them together into a single community that the both of them would call ‘the USA’? What is a nation? Continue reading invisible lines and things called nations By SeanW,on June 8th,2010 I declare this Mushroom skill-share workshop a success! Not only was it a great time,but we accomplished a lot. Considering that it was the first course I’ve ever led I think it went exceptionally well – smoothly but with high energy. Thanks go to everyone who turned out (we had 30 plus attendees),you made it possible.  Hudson Locale Fungi Workshop And thanks again to to crew from Hudson Locale for making this event possible. I look forward to many more good things growing and evolving out of the Hudson Locale Farm &Living Design Project. The session commenced after a potluck and socialization hour. Jeremiah,Dan,and Melissa Introduce Hudson Locale and their mission –which is something I really support. After setting the scene for this as one of the many soci-educational events to come it was my turn to kick off the fungi portion of the day. I tried to tailor the talk to our location at Pleroma Farm and include fungi within the context of permaculture and biodynamics as practiced on the farm. We began with a general discussion on the importance of fungi and the crucial roles they play in our ecosystems. We focused on fungi that lives as mycelium to the exclusion of yeasts,molds,mildews. Most notably fungi are decomposers who can recycle debris into valuable soil. Many opportunities exist at the farm for utilizing mycelium’s deconstructive powers to aid in the transition from debris into soil with plant-accessible nutrients. These opportunities include woody debris,stumps,manure,spent straw,vegetation,cardboard,paper,and even coffee grounds.  Fungi Workshop In addition to building soil,certain fungi have the ability to decompose toxins such as PAH (the main chemical bond in petroleum products),PCB,PCP,among others. Mycelium can also hyper-accumulate heavy metals such as mercury and lead. Pleroma Farm is not in need of remediation from these toxins,however the Farm can still benefit from myco-remediation. We identified a small creek that is contaminated by the effluent from the Farm’s dairy cows. We discussed using Paul Stamets‘s “bunker spawn” method to build a living filter to eat the rich effluent and remove dangerous bacteria. While naturally participating in this decomposition process,mycelium offers us various other benefits. These benefits include the the creation of enzyme that repel pests and diseases such as nematodes and blight fungi. The combination of these properties makes certain fungi great companions for specific vegetable. And lets not forget the most evident benefits – the mycelium’s fruit:mushrooms! Mushrooms are very nutritious,and we touched very briefly on our chosen species nutritional profiles. We went into a little more depth on the medicinal properties of mushrooms. These properties exist because mycelium lives within an environment that is very rich in microbial life. As a sort of external immune system mycelium has evolved the ability to excrete various enzymes,polysaccharides,and other compounds to ward off bacteria,viruses,and other fungi. These compounds have direct benefits to humans when consumed as medicine.  Stropharia rugoso-annulata inoculation station The classroom session’s purpose was to explain why we were integrating mushroom cultivation into the landscape. Most of the workshop consisted of the physical implementation. We started at the ‘spiral garden’where we broadcast Stropharia rugoso-annulata sawdust spawn on two garden beds. Also know as Wine Caps or Garden Giants,this mushroom was recently reclassified as Psilocybe rugosa-annulata (Psilocybe meaning bald headed – this mushroom is not hallucinogenic). In a bit of an experiment we layered this spawn in between layers of spent straw gathered from one of the barns. This was on top of a sheet mulch that had been laid sometime beforehand. Ideally we will supplement this patch with additional woodchips. The plants for these bed will be chosen a companions for the Wine Caps. I suggested some large and leafy green such as dinokale or large cabbages to provide shade and retain moisture on the soil. Corn is supposed to be a great compliment,so a three-sisters theme might work well here too. The next workstation was set back in the camp established in the forest on the property. Here we inoculated oak and maple logs using plug spawn. We used a large oak log and maitake (Grifola frondosa) plug spawn as the first demonstration. After the maitake log we focused on the abundant shiitake (Lentinula edodes) plug spawn we had on hand. We would have inoculated oak logs with reishi (Ganoderma lucidum)plug spawn in the same way,but decided to forgo the reishi due to time constraints.  Lentinula edodes plug spawn workshop The plug spawn inoculation process involves drilling holes approximately four inches apart in an offset or diamond pattern around the log. Then the plugs – wooden dowels that have themselves been inoculated – are gently hammered into the holes. We finish the process by covering the newly inserted plug with a layer of non-paraffin beeswax or cheesewax.  Pleurotus ostreatus inoculation station Our last station was where we mixed oyster mushroom sawdust spawn with poplar sawdust and packed this mix into burlap bags. We had two varieties of oyster mushrooms (Pleurotus ostreatus). We offered our guests to take their own oyster patch home with them for the price of a donation. Check back in the coming months and years to see the fruits of our mushroom experiments. I look forward to more skillshare opportunities hosted by Hudson Locale. Just guessing by the interest of those who I talked to I am envisioning workshops on biodynamic preparations,stonework &masonry,permaculture,nutrition &raw food,wilderness survival &tracking,and awareness training. By Amir,on June 8th,2010  A friend had given me the heads up that Yale had some courses in video format available on their website. I checked out the philosophy section and found “Death with Professor Shelly Kagan.” I highly recommend these lectures. They merit a more comprehensive treatment than available here. However,one of the arguments entertained by Kagan,the one which I would like to talk about now,is that death is not an evil,not something to be feared. Rather,Kagan argues,death is (not only natural but) better than the alternative [immortality]. I couldn’t agree more. Death is to be expected,as well as accepted. It’s a crucial part of existence. Not just the death of living things,but decay in general. In many world philosophies,(at moment I have in mind Eastern traditions),there exists the concept that the defining characteristic of the physical world is its corruptibility. That is,everything in the universe is changing;the only constant is the flux. We need look no further than the laws of thermodynamics (energy conservation and entropy) to support this notion scientifically. Thus,just as bacteria,and birds,and humans die,so too do stars and galaxies. And just as stardust became dirt which became you,you will become dirt which will become stardust. Again,this is not something to be mourned. It isn’t even destruction,in the sense that the matter/energy is always transferred and never destroyed. Completely natural,and if you agree that nature is beautiful,then so too must be death. Just think,when our sun explodes along with our planet and galaxy,how pretty the supernova will be. By SeanW,on December 2nd,2009 Alive &Blinking,you are a teaspoon capable of containing some quantity of sugar which we call a teaspoon-full. Open to receiving the hundreds of gallons of life as the granules of experience and thought fill your spoon and pour by. How much can your teaspoon hold? There is a Great Rumbling. This is a call to action! Your responsibilities as a conscious mind require you to utilize your ability to inquire and reason. Your humanity,being that you are a dependent part of a larger social organism,demands your participation with the community. The purpose of this experiment is to provide an arena for an ever expanding and increasingly pluralistic discussion;to foster the creation of a community of thinker-humans. This community is open to new minds and old ideas alike. Everybody has insight to offer. A larger sample of perspectives can more adeptly illuminate understanding. No mind is to be left unheard. The aim of this quest remains open ended because we anticipate continual growth and constant re-visioning with the dynamic nature of thought. This ought to enable us to remain relevant in the light of new discoveries and expanded understandings. Self-thought:the act of reflecting and thinking critically is imperative if we are to begin this journey in earnest. Communication is equally important;to bring these ideas into a worldly existence where the can be discussed,tested,stretched/compressed,disproved,improved,refined,honed and possibly spread and built upon. After All (or in the now),a mind is a wonderful thing to taste. We have a recipe for (one among millions) which will begin with equal parts empiricism and experience. We will each concoct a unique dish to bring to this – a sort of community table – where we will enjoy a potluck feast all are welcomed to attend. I’m hungry. Lets begin. | |
