thesis: IN THE CURRENT TECHNOLOGICAL ERA, a framework that encourages the “CULTIVATION OF THE ECOSYSTEMS OF MIND, BODY, EARTH AND ECONOMY” has the potential to drive POSITIVE PERSONAL, SOCIETAL and planetary HEALING.
Monocultures viewed as degraded ecosystems:
The “cultivation of ecosystems” thesis rests on the idea that monocultures, both macro and micro, have proliferated on our planet for thousands of years under the direct control of humans and that this trend has had many downsides that have not been recognized or dealt with. A monoculture is simply a degraded ecosystem, whether that be a natural ecosystem of the Earth or human body or an intangible ecosystem of the mind or economy.
Macro-monocultures:
For example, economic, cultural and environmental macro-monocultures that brought humanity much prosperity since the beginning of the agricultural era have also brought a myriad of other, still unresolved, systemic problems of economy, culture and environment. See these problems called out on the “contexts” page. This thesis contends that the unintentional creation of macro-monocultures, through the pursuit of power by various humans over the eons, facilitated and assisted the rise of power structures which then thrived by expelling the unique perspectives born of our varied origins, orientations, inclinations ways of thinking.
Micro-monocultures:
What’s less obvious, but apparent to those who explore problems of body and mind, is a secondary argument in favor of a “cultivation of ecosystems” framework; that industrialization of our food, health and education systems has micro-monocultures to proliferate inside of us. In our bodies they are microbial and outcompete our friendly microbes that would otherwise support physical and mental health. A growing body of research confirms as much - that degraded microbial ecosystems (see: gut) are a wellspring of many illnesses. In our minds the micro-monocultures are ideological and outcompete the ideologies that would allow us to prosper in joy and love. This is most apparent when one examines the impact of industrial schooling and propagandized national governments. These invasive micro-monocultures of the mind and economy lay the groundwork for debilitating illness in our bodies and depression, anxiety and addiction in our minds.
If these arguments have merit, then, mono-culturization on micro and macro scales is quite possibly the singular mechanism by which most human problems and inequities have proliferated through our cultures. That they are and have been a tool of power structures for hundreds if not thousands of years.
Machine Intelligence Scaling Monocultures:
Algorithms and neural networks (aka the machines) are proliferating and becoming increasingly intelligent and influential. While they have had a staggering positive impact on our world and our ability to interact with one another, they have also created new troubles, creating fractures in our society and endowing “public” entities with nearly unchecked power. Many are asking, “what happens next” as machine intelligence continues to develop. Some imagine a perfect utopia emerging with increasing artificial intelligence, while others see eternal subjugation and suffering for humanity. Nobody really knows where this current era will take us.
If we are to examine this current era with an awareness of the previously proposed thousands-of-years trend of monoculturization, we might argue that the current rapid proliferation of machine intelligence brings a very specific systemic (even supersystemic) risk; the potential the technologies will rapidly scale the monocultures of body, mind, Earth and economy. So, a valid and useful question to ask may be:
If we task “the machines” to simply optimize and scale humanity’s macro- and micro-monocultures shouldn’t we expect the myriad of unresolved problems to proliferate yet further and cause great harm?
Reforesters Farm and Laboratory was founded based on the answer to that question being a resounding “yes”. The two entities are a test bed for the thesis laid out at the start of this page. That a framework which encourages the “cultivation of the ecosystems of mind, body, Earth and economy” has the potential to drive positive personal, societal and planetary healing.