J. Waggle wrote:
>
> There seem to be many interpretations of what organic actually is. 
>   
One of the great truths of Western Man. Probably one of the main reasons 
why, when this list delves into the organic movement, I feel like Alice 
in Through the Looking Glass: 

> `When /I/ use a word,' Humpty Dumpty said in rather a scornful tone, 
> `it means just what I choose it to mean -- neither more nor less.'
>
> `The question is,' said Alice, `whether you /can/ make words mean so 
> many different things.'
>
> `The question is,' said Humpty Dumpty, `which is to be master - - 
> that's all.'
>


When we cannot even understand what the terms mean, then they mean 
nothing. They are artifacts and used at the whim of the speaker. That 
does not give promise to a dialog but to misunderstanding. Which is why 
some scientific papers and most legal documents do have definition of 
terms, so there is a common base. So if you go to the USDA and the law 
you get definitions of terms, including "organic".

The problem with the organic movement, outside of the USDA definitions, 
is it shifts into Allen's "Faith vs Science" post. You move from the 
science of the organic movement to the faith of the movement. I worked 
mostly with the science based movement here in Maine. Good, pragmatic 
people. But when you move into the faith part of the movement, and 
unfortunately it is not a long leap, you enter Alice's world.

I practice organic farming and have done  so for scores of years, but I 
am not as "pure" as some of  faith would have me, so I am therefore not 
truly "organic". The problem is, the next fringe looks back at those who 
disparage me and condemn them, until you finally get out to the end and 
there, in his humble purity,  is Humpty Dumpty.

Bill  Truesdell (Practicing Bioexoentropic beekeeping- beekeeping 
dedicated to increase the entropy of the Universe)
Bath, Maine

-- Visit www.honeybeeworld.com/bee-l for rules, FAQ and  other info ---