What is Holistic Reason? I've rejected most definitions of holistic reason and find all the small groups calling themselves holistic a puzzle. It appears that anyone who thinks differently or expands their world grabs at the label "holistic". When someone begins to organize ideas and claim they describe reality can this be holistic. It appears that they are creating a box to put ideas in and make communication easier. This isn't holism. The concept of a box (limiting ideas) isn't the goal of holism. One easy test is to look for limits, connections, and most important a "process". Holistic thinking will not be concerned with limits and will always be open to connections with new areas of understanding. The only way i know to achieve this is to think in terms of a process. This doesn't mean our thinking is totally undisciplined and chaotic. It means we avoid building rigid walls around our beliefs. At times science acts this way and has elements of holism. A good example of holism (IMO) is Permaculture. At the center of Permaculture is a design process that defines it. The house Permaculture builds can not be called Pc only the process of design. Another example is ZEN. You can't define ZEN with words. It can only be understood through process. Another way to define ZEN is to talk about all the things it isn't. So what? How does this help me cook rice? One way to apply these ideas is to understand how our culture is "thing" oriented and develop the ability to think outside our culture. We can change to a more process oriented view of right/wrong and good/bad and liberal/conservative. We can see language as a "thing" oriented tool and balance it with other tools such as direct observation. We can find the real message in the context of language and let others fight about absolute meanings. Those that focus on absolutes are often building walls and not trying to walk through doors (for the skeptic.. yes we still need absolutes. But not as the dominant way of thinking). An ecopath is the process of stepping. It isn't the steps or a specific philosophy. It doesn't have a rigid destination, only a concept called sustainability. The ecopath process consists mostly of education, explorations through action, adjustments, and tolerance of other paths. Another interesting topic is to look at what environments enhance process. How about diversity, connections, chaos, patterns, and basic ecology. Is diversity a factor in human health and happiness? Ageing studies say it is. Everything is connected and everything is changing. It is all process. The big bang is a process. ---- jeff owens, [EMAIL PROTECTED], http://www.xprt.net/~jko underground house, solar power, self-reliance, edible landscape to leave ecopath: unsubscribe ecopath -> [EMAIL PROTECTED]
