Beau M. Davidson

Hooray! Wow! Lightning fast apples!!!

That's great news. Thank you for the update and alllllll the work, Devaka!

Pearl had a great idea to make a chart of sorts of the kinds of materials that work well, and maybe various properties of the materials on the other axis.  I don't know of one that exists, but we could make one and add it.

What do y'all use?  I'll start.

material	sturdiness	size	decomposition speed
Hardwood Sticks	Exceptional	Various	Slowly
Softwood Sticks	Good	Various	1-2 Seasons
Stalks (corn, mullein, etc)	Medium	Various	Fast (use quick germinating ground cover)
Bark	Medium	Smallish-Mediumish	Fast
Leaf Layers	Medium, as horizontal sheets	Small	Fast

About twice or three times a year, usually when talking about hugelkultur and how to make a nice steep slope, I reference this video about adding structure to earth to increase the structural integrity while also increasing the angle of repose.  

Figure it needs its own thread so it's not so hard to find.

The idea for hugels is that you can jab sticks and stuff that you're already mulching with into the soil in the side of the hugel to hold the loose stuff together while the roots are growing into place.  Eventually, by the time your sticky bits break down, it will hold itself together pretty well and only need minor periodic maintenance.  

I think there are also some good images of this sort of thing in the Berm Shed movie.

How'd this piece dry for you, Mark?

Hi Jenna,

At this time, we aren't looking at bringing someone on who isn't already on staff, or at least very active with a lot of history on permies.

Thanks though, and if you hang around for a while please check back in. Happy to give some more guidance after 100 posts or so.

Devaka Cooray wrote:Update: We have finalized on lot of things on the new server. We have installed upgraded versions of our database, server software, and a bunch of related stuff. We are just waiting on getting our forum software updated to support the latest java version. I hope we will be able to complete our migration within the next couple of weeks.

Thanks, Devaka. This is great news.

Here is a thing he said about applied science in A Realist Theory of Science:

Roy Bhaskar wrote:The applied scientist must be adept at analysing a situation as a whole, of thinking at several different levels at once, recognizing clues, piecing together diverse bits of information and assessing the likely outcomes of various courses of action.

This is probably the most directly permaculture-related thing I've seen Bhaskar say, although it must be noted that he is not advocated for this kind of scientific work.



Here's one that doesn't necessarily stand alone or make sense out of context, but I like its poetry:

Roy Bhaskar wrote:We are contingent temporary
flotsam on a sea of being.

That is actually probably my favorite thing I've seen of Roy's, and I think it would like great as a wood-burned sign hanging in Bhaskar Auditorium, for instance.



Here is one rather cosmic quote.  At least it sounds like people would understand it and maybe like it.

Roy Bhaskar wrote:It is not that there are the starry heavens above and the moral law within, as Kant would have it; rather, the true basis of your virtuous existence is the fact that the starry heavens are within you, and you are within them.

He has some interesting things to say about logic:

Roy Bhaskar wrote:Logic merely defines how the world must be if we are to successfully apply certain techniques.

What Bhaskar says about "the fallacies of human understanding" is pretty good and accessible.
He's talking about the cognitive biases and limitations that people have in understanding reality, namely the tendency to mistake our limited perception of the world for the world itself.  This leads to poor interpretations and conclusions about the underlying structures and causal mechanisms in play.

I think if someone wanted to get a quicker "big picture" of what Bhaskar is trying to articulate, the framework in this figure is helpful:


I like the idea of connecting disparate parts.  That to me is key in permaculture.  Maybe we can find some "quotes" that deal directly with that.

I found this break-down of the key points about Bhaskar's "fallacies of human understanding":

Epistemic fallacy:
This is considered the central fallacy, where people mistakenly believe that the way we can know something defines what actually exists, essentially reducing reality to our knowledge of it.
Ontological mono-valence:
This fallacy assumes that things only have one meaning or interpretation, neglecting the complex and multi-faceted nature of reality.
The "empirical" vs. "real":
Bhaskar distinguishes between the observable empirical world (what we experience) and the underlying "real" world with its causal powers, arguing that our limited perception can often obscure the true nature of reality.
Critique of positivism:
Bhaskar's concept of fallacies directly challenges positivist views that believe scientific knowledge directly reflects reality, as he argues that our methods of inquiry can be influenced by our inherent biases.

His obit in the guardian paints a nice picture of him.  He is certainly a heavy hitter in modern philosophy and science.

Roy uses a bunch of academic philosophy language, which can be alienating for everyday people and permaculture pragmatists.

I try to keep in mind that permaculture language can seem alienating to people at a eco-scale level 1-3 level.  

It's mostly an exercise in translation, I think, and requires time, patience, and attention from the newcomer.  Which are very valuable things, not easily coaxed from someone.

Still, I think what Roy offers is worth the investment.  I'm looking for that good "tell me what Roy Bhaskar was all about like I'm an 8-year-old" treatment that can connect the the majority of people.