Re: plants DB - indigenious

["georg parlow" <georg@websuxxess.com>]

> challenge the 'as unbiased as can be' - says who? Says our rationalist
> culture.

i say so. i say so because i believe myself to operate not only
rational/culturly but also fairly instinctively or spiritually or whatever.
on reading the guy i grok the guy fairly well, and i am satisfied that he is
as unbiased as anyone without a major enlightenment can be. also jared
diamond is not a specialist, but pretty competent in several fields, giving
him quite a broad base. but read for yourself and i suppose you will
understand what i mean.


> I'm not saying that Indigenous cultures are intrinsically better or
> nicer than whitefellas (or yellowfellas etc) but that in my experience
> they don't evangelise or crusade or seek to convert or impose their
> world view (which makes them significantly different from dominant
> western culture).

and i have been trying to say (sorry for my obscure communication), that
this makes them significantly different from ANY dominant culture, and this
is exactly the point. they would most likely behave likewise if given a
chance to dominate (and as historical evidence shows us, they have been
doing such before, of course on a smaller scale, as ever human phenomenon
has been on a smaller scale in the more distant past, but not smaller in
quality, only in qunatity.)


> WE WANT to do by debating and rationalising away the concern and
> discussing issues of greater good - as if we are in a position to judge!

well, i havent, and i found some of the statements you or someone called
"wantwantwant" myself revolting, but who am i to judge?

> When we show that we can listen, be humble and treat knowledge with
> respect, then communication and rewards will flow. And they may not be
> the rewards we were chasing but they will be even more satisfying.

beautifully put, and i agree wholeheartedly.

georg