The
Big Picture
If
we are to believe that design can affect positive social development,
the theory of Organic Multiplicity is an attempt to create self-sustaining
systems of economically and culturally dynamic coexistence. To this
extent, Organic Multiplicity strives to understand and practice
design in a manner that integrates and harmonizes with the systems
and cycles of nature, rather than the abstract and isolated notions
of human ambition and arrogance. Our continued existence will be
contingent upon the sustainable nurturance of our environment and
economy, while accepting, and indeed celebrating, our cultural diversity.
A benevolent and multifaceted orientation toward design, industry,
and the global community and environment will help us successfully
overcome the looming ecological and social challenges that are an
inescapable part of our shared future.
A
Break from the Past
Until
modern times, we have always struggled to survive within a challenging
and hostile environment, filled with creatures and environments
beyond our complete control. As such, the traditional relationship
to our world has always been confrontational. We desired to conquer
and tame nature, in order to build a more hospitable and accommodating
environment, suitable to our liking and ease.
With
the advent of industrialism and modernism, humankind gained the
ability to tame our environment. We have proven ourselves to be
quite adaptive and have we have spread ourselves widely upon the
planet, consuming and manipulating nature as we go. But we have
failed to fully realize or appreciate our interconnectedness and
dependence to the very natural systems we have chosen to combat.
By
rescinding our traditionally anthropocentric, adversarial, and exploitive
relationship to the earth, Organic Multiplicity promotes a more
holistic and supportive perspective to human achievement. In order
to secure our long-term existence on this planet, we must find ways
to coexist in relative balance or parity within our environment
and our cultural diversities. By acknowledging the necessity of
harmonious and sustainable existence within our environment, we
will be able to create a truer form of modernism, more contextually
appropriate to realities of the current condition of humanity.
A
General Understanding
If
we are to be completely open in our minds we must accept the fundamental
reality that the earth is a closed system. Every action taken with
respect to the environment or a social/cultural condition does indeed
have corresponding reaction. By accepting the finite nature of our
environment and the cultures that reside within it, we must embrace
certain intrinsic ramifications.
As
our global culture and information technology progress, it is not
unreasonable to foresee us as an essentially globally interconnected
society. Added to this condition is the realization that there will
surely be almost no untapped natural resource nor any naive "cheap"
labor force left available. Forced to thrive in a closed, finite
system, industry will be required to develop sustainable methods
of production and consumption, within an economic environment of
nearly uniform labor costs and globally interconnected financial
systems and institutions. To this extent, we must find ways of developing
systems of relative economic parity and sustainable consumption.
Realizing
Opportunities
By
retooling some of the fundamentals of our relationship to the environment,
we will enable a much-needed retooling of "old-world"
industrial and capitalist systems toward sustainable consumerism.
Those that take up the challenge of sustainable consumption will
benefit from the independence of self-determination in a more open,
less compromised environment that will be available later.
By
striving to see the subtle wisdom in the complex fabric of natural
systems and phenomena, we may gain insight into developing our technology
to be less intrusive and yet more functional and effective. In essence,
we look to nature to find inspiration for progressive and constructive
human evolution.
Each
of the multitude of micro-environments of the earth contain environmental
and social conditions that affect the contextual nature of human
existence. By understanding and validating the many diverse cultural
perspectives and insights of humanity, we are able to obtain a deeper,
more open wisdom of our world, simultaneously admiring human adaptability
and individuality while embracing our common threads of reason and
emotion. In accepting this holistic view, we are able to recognize
the gestalt value of self-expression and identity in creating more
vibrant and dynamic human culture.
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