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  • From: kran0072@umn.edu
  • To: permaculture@lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: [permaculture] Hello & Economic analogy
  • Date: 14 Feb 2007 11:32:02 -0600

Hi everyone, I've recently joined and posted a few responses. Briefly: I live in Minneapolis, Minnesota and the US. Permaculture is great. I hope to one day participate in and subsist with a diverse biotic community. Lets hear it for the best possible future we can imagine!


Regarding the analogy discussion:

Transfer of energy and other resources is pervasive in nature. But in mutualist symbioses the exchange behavior is closer to an inter-human economy in that it is characterized by being well established, as purposive as any behavior (non-accidental), and bidirectional. In inter-human economy there is accidental transfer, oneway theft, etc., but it wouldn’t be what is without agreed upon exchange and more or less entrenched conventions.

Common mycorrhizal networks are the best analogues I can think of because they involve multiple individuals and species. More than a simple two-way exchange, these can involve many fungi and many plants linked together... and some are benefiting more than others, some may simply be losing out, and these balances among the members are not static. Like a human or any economy, this network is open, receiving its energy from outside the system as conventionally defined. Its materials may be well contained, but there is always some degree of material throughput. Of course, the analogy requires us to compare different humans and human groups to different species in the mycorrhizal network. A review of network theory should yield some additional insights, as it is applied to both common mycorrhizal networks as well as social, inter-human networks.

Andy KM


Personally, I am interested in any models/metaphors that folks may be
aware of that are analogues of "economic systems" that occur in nature. This might include such behaviors as squirrels hoarding nuts,
but I am really looking for energy exchange models that might be
mirrored as we design permaculture "economies".

Vint Lawrence




  • [permaculture] Hello & Economic analogy, kran0072, 02/14/2007

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