One of the great mistakes of supposedly practical people is to dismiss philosophy as the resort of impractical dreamers. Collins stands up for her subject, adamant that underlying all thought there is a foundation of philosophical assumptions. Behind every practical man there is a defunct philosopher, goes the saying.
The book is divided into four sections,each containing a few essays. Naturally, it begins with Plato. She takes Plato's simile of the cave, which is enormously significant in philosophy of knowledge, and adapts the discussion into an analysis of how we deal with problems of the complexities of dealing with pests in complex ecological systems. This is a clever and original application of a key element in philosophical tradition, and I am impressed.
Collyns then deals with the philosophical principles of how far we gardeners are entitled to rule our gardens, should we see ourselves as masters of our patch or should we go with the flow, accepting the power and mastery of nature. She looks at this through the lens of existentialism and also draws on Eastern religions, such as Zen Buddhism and Taoism. These seem to appeal to her. She also draws upon Islam's use of geometric design. Sadly, Christianity with its rich gardening tradition is overlooked. A separate essay deals with oneness with nature, and this draws upon the Taoist principle of balancing of various factors which is at the heart of productive gardening.
An important essay is on the progress of classification systems, known as taxonomies, in botany. While classification is at root a philosophical issue, much of the discussion is at the scientific level, but she does not draw upon rare plants for her examples she focuses on common garden plants.
Collyns gives a knowledgeable account of the progress of taxonomy from its Aristotelian origins,through the contribution of Linnaeus up to modern DNA based systems. This is an essay of significant value to thoughtful gardeners, but she does not overwhelm readers with technical complexity.
Comments
I have not met this problem,but you are right, plastic is more merciful than glass is.
Thank you!
Do you all ever have a problem with birds flying into the greenhouse's see-through parts, which perhaps would attract them like windows?
It must be gentler for birds and other fliers, such as butterflies and moths, to crash into plastic than glass, correct?
Plastic. I am greenhouse manager, which means that I keep an eye on the plants and work with potting and cutting, and of course watering. There is no digging involved.
Thank you!
Is the see-through part of your local-park greenhouse of glass or of plastic?
No one case of the disease is the same as othe're, and you can live a near normal lifespan. But my problems seem to have affected mainly my legs. I suffer no mental problems at all and very few upper body symptoms.
The grènhouses are aluminium.
Once again, I'm sorry to read about your balance.
Are the neuron-destroying progressions predictable over a certain timespan or are they individual-specific?
Regarding what you do at the local park, what material do you prefer for greenhouses?
It looks like on this side of the (Atlantic) pond that aluminum is preferable over steel or wood and that plastic is preferable over glass.
Parkinson's disease slowly destroys the neurons that provide balance.There is no cure. I work at the local park. The manager has two volunteers who are strong and sturdy. They take on the heavy jobs. I am allocated greenhouse management, cuttings and potting on, skilled tasks which I can perform while sitting, most of the time.
I'm sorry to read below about your balance.
Are you able to do any gardening outdoors? You still can do indoor gardening, such as tabletop and windowsill plantings, correct?
Both. You can philosophies on the garden, for example asking questions about the good life. But gardening can raise philosophical questions, e.g. on the ethics of killing pests. Recently the question of surŕendering possessions arose. As my balance has been damaged irreparably by my illness there are tools that I cannot use. I am giving them to my son. Clinging is pointless
It is rewarding to delve deep in clear language. Is gardening a vehicle for philosophy? Or is gardening a tool to explain philosophy? Perhaps gardening is best understood via philosophical thought. These do not need to be disjoint.