permaculture

[Toby Hemenway <toby@patternliteracy.com>]

(this got kinda long, so I broke it into 2 parts. The other is about the
PDC, under the "PDC course prices" thread.)

I think a little definition of terms might help clear things up in this
thread.

What is permaculture? It's not a discipline. One way to think of it is as an
invention, created by Mollison and Holmgren, just the way a lightbulb or
patented manufacturing process is, using existing materials and assembling
them in a new way. Pc is a certain way of arranging knowledge in order to
apply it to design. The specific design process regulated by 3 ethics and a
group of principles, and using a particular set of disciplines and
methodologies is unique to Pc. The concept was unique and specific enough
that its inventors coined a new word for it, and as inventors they have the
right to impose limits on the word's definition, and to attempt to regulate
its use. It is not a Humpty-Dumpty term that means whatever we want it to
mean. That's why saying "nobody has the right to regulate permaculture" is
like saying, "Anyone can make a drink and call it Johnny Walker Red."

Mollison never claimed to have invented any of the subjects that Pc
organizes. He (and most anyone in Pc) is perfectly aware that many elements
of Pc come from many cultures; he visited those cultures and learned from
them. The attributions and origins are in every Pc book and are discussed in
every PDC. But the assembly is an original and very significant
contribution, just as the light bulb or Monet painting is. In hindsight we
may look at Pc and think, "that's obvious," but it's really not. The
brilliant Thomas Huxley read of Darwin's theory of natural selection and
said, "How stupid of me not to have thought of that!" Same goes for Pc:
Parts were present, but the inventors put it together and deserve the credit
and our respect of their intentions for it.

Many sustainable practices will naturally fit the criteria of Pc. But Pc is
not simply another word for any sustainable practice. I often hear people
with an incomplete grasp of Pc say "the XX people were practicing Pc long
before Mollison." They may have been living sustainably, but I have never
encountered any evidence that anyone was applying the full Pc design system.
I'm sorry, but no one's grandfather was doing Pc.

Bill has given Pc a very specific meaning. He has written repeatedly that
people can use any aspect of Pc in any way they want, but don't call it Pc
if it does not use the defined process of Pc. I think this is worth
respecting. Such traditions and stipulations about how to use teachings are
very common in indigenous cultures. If we can understand respecting an
elder's wishes or honoring the integrity of a tradition in other cultures,
we ought to be able to do it in our own.

For those who would like the official word, Mollison's website is
http://www.tagari.com

And a handbook describing the permaculture Institute, and the suggested use
of the word "Permaculture" is in a PDF file at
http://www.tagari.com/booksales/BookletsPages/YearBook.htm

Toby
www.patternliteracy.com