Grace,
> IMHO, the division of materials into "synthetic" and "natural"
> is not only NOT useful, but is the root cause of most of the insanity
> that has dragged the organic discussion down the drain of debating
> materials lists as opposed to concentrating on assessing a holistic
> management system.
I think you are underestimating a main driving force behind the movement.
Most organic enthusiasts believe that there is a fundamental difference
between synthetic substances and "natural" things. IMO this stems from an
essentialist (Platonic) and dualistic worldview. I suspect that the
committed customer base really is focused on substances and their essential
qualities.
> The point is to establish principles for making distinctions that
> have some relationship to the ecological concepts on which organic
> was (once upon a time) founded.
I don't think we should view this as a scientific issue. There is a divide
between the scientific community and committed organics people. The divide
reflects deep philosophical differences.
> Our goal, perhaps naively, was to develop uniform standards for a
> production process, not product quality--this is very compatible with
> environmentally minded food buyers.
I think most people buy organic food because they believe there is a quality
difference. There may not *really* be any difference in quality, but the
market behaves like there is. It seems like the USDA was torn between
serving the needs of the market, and producing scientifically defensible
recommendations. The USDA finally decided to do what the organic farming
community desires rather than make scientific pronouncements. I think that
was the right decision.
Dale
PS: Don't panic, buy organic!
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