> "Our problem really is with the human mind, which needs to deal
> with discrete categories, even when these have to be imposed on
> an essentially continuous series. The trouble comes when we
> mistake the nature of our categories.
That is right on target. People should not take the three-dimensional model
of sustainability too seriously. It is just a taxonomy in which to
categorize values. It is the values and principles that are important, not
the nomenclature.
> Some of this discussion (snip) seems to reflect
> agendas well away from the core business of sustainable
> farming...
IMO, discrete values and agendae need to be unpacked and discussed. Some
people resist unpacking sustainability because certain values they hold dear
might not garner support on their own.
> Some of the rules and definitions tossed around seem to drift
> off from a central concern to see that exploitation of the
> earth..
Yes. This must be the central concern. If this waits until all human-human
problems are fixed, wild nature will be a thing of the past.
> Maybe it is not in the purity of the idea of sustainability but
> in the nature of such compromise that the real issues are to be
> pursued - that is, the issues for definition are in the nature
> of the principles of compromise. In part that involves defining
> what is not to be compromised..
Setting aside visions of revolutionary zeal and purity, it involves activity
and compromise in the political and policy-making arena. IMO the central
goal should be the insertion of externalities into the market.
Dale
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