Fixed Cross wrote:These are more spiritual new age communities than philosophical communities, as there already is a philosophy that defines the community - permaculture - a philosophical community, it seems to me, would pertain to all possible philosophies.
I disagree. The community was established before anyone had heard of the term Permaculture. The community wasn’t based on Permaculture, quite the contrary. Permaculture sprang out of the community’s search for a better way to live . IF the community had an underlying philosophy it was to offer a place where people could explore different ways of living. That was the only principle that tied everyone together.
Fixed Cross wrote:I will in any case not be part of something that seeks to seclude. I am only ever interested in expanding the scope of influence of real philosophical exploration. Science must be integral part of any such community - it must develop the exact sciences, that is the first condition.
If you're referring to my post, the community I spoke of could hardly have been more open. The 30+ members consisted of a Christian couple, a Buddhist, a couple of atheists, a UFOligist plus a plethora of new age hippies, ‘straight’ people and guests passing through. Yes, I called it a new age community because we didn't have terms like 'intentional community' back then.
Anyway, Permaculture is a methodology not a belief system. It’s a way of thinking, acting and learning by doing – aka action learning. It’s a holistic, systemic approach to problem solving in that it targets the source of the problem rather than the symptoms and addresses the whole, rather than just the part that appears to be the problem. Importantly, one must remember that he/she is part of the system he hopes to improve.
Maybe it's not your cup of tea. Fine. Each to his own but for me, the mark of a great philosophical community is one that co-creates its own philosophy -- a practical philosophy -- then exports it so hundreds of thousands of people can live better lives. This, however, is only the start.
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