permaculture

[jeff <jko@save-net.com>]

Thilo wrote:
> I always looked at it as a thing for everybody from everybody.

Thilo, I share your view of having "open" and free information
exchange.  The big issue here may be how do we protect free
information form the copyright laws.  If i happen to write something
of value, i want it to be free and never included under someones
copyright.  How can this be done?  I wrote something on homesteading
once and later found it copyrighted with added paragraphs promoting
a religious belief.  This was fine if they identified which parts were
free and only copyrighted the parts they added.  I believe the GNU
public license attempts to deal with this and might be a good place
to start.

So.. what fits permaculture best?  If we view PC as modeled on nature
then the answer might be free information and pay-for services.  If we
use the legal system as a guide then we mimic economic philosophy.
Within economic just about everything is owned.  In nature
ownership occurs but is limited.

If we look at what is optimal for community building, communication,
and education i much prefer the "free" and open culture model.  Examples
of this occurred at various times in the past so it is possible..  We
still need some regulation but ownership becomes more of a local 
community experience.

Anyway there are lots of  different ways to view this issue but overall
i think pay-for-services fits within permaculture but ownership needs
more thought.  Clearly, we live in a world that tries to own everything.
Some other ownership issues are: DNA, seeds, water, air, and plants.
Where do we draw the line?

jeff