Decentralized by Design: The Foundational Philosophy of AVES - Part 1

There are three main pillars to AVES: Aesthetics, science, and philosophy. In this essay, I will focus exclusively on the latter. Yes, this requires a high level of abstract thinking; however, I will make it as accessible as I can.

AVES is designed to be a decentralized enterprise. So what does this even mean?

Decentralization: Not simply hype but rather a real concept of great importance

It's true that there is a lot of hype around the word decentralization these days, but decentralization is indeed a real concept of tremendous importance to our present-day society. You will find out why later.
​​
But first, let’s explore centralization:

Centralization is a homogenizing* force in our modern, technological society that—though generally intended for human betterment—employs “new arts and sciences directed towards human control so that we can be shaped to live consonantly with the demands of mass society (Grant 1986).”

Canadian philosopher George Grant (1986) noted that centralization “can be seen applied through the computerized bureaucracies of the private and public corporations, through mass education, medicine and the media, etc. Many scientists are now, above all, planners and central members of the ruling class... the profession has become a chief instrument for tightening social control in the western world, as is made evident by the unity of the profession’s purpose with those of political administration and law enforcement, the complex organization of dependent professions it has gathered around itself, its taking over of the cure of the ‘psyche’, and the increasing correlation of psychiatry with a behaviourally and physiologically oriented psychology.”

AVES stems from the Canadian school of thought

​It is now clear that decentralization is the unavoidable next step to ensure mankind's flourishment in such a society: “Beyond the rootlessness characteristic of the present early stages of technological society, human beings are now called to new ways of being rooted which will have passed through modern rootlessness, and will be able at one and the same time to accept the benefits of modern homogenization while living out a new form of heterogeneity (Grant 1986).”

Just like centralization is 'built into' the very fabric of our institutions, AVES has made it its mission to constitute this later philosophy in its framework. In fact, the tree reference Arbor Vitae in the company name alludes to this new rootedness in Modern society and heterogeneity via individuation (see Jung 1964; Nicastro 2021).

I will expand on this concept and describe how a ‘simple’ ecological landscaping company like mine will achieve this horizon in future essays, but in the meantime you can see how I integrate these concepts in my designs in the video below (Raw footage from Landscape Design course at U of G).

​*Homogenization has also been described as rootlessness and/or homelessness; Centralization is inferred from the text.

References:
Grant, G., 1986. ‘Thinking about Technology’, in Technology and Justice. House of Anansi.
Jung, C.G., Von Franz, M.L., Henderson, J.L., Jaffé, A. and Jacobi, J., 1964. Man and his symbols. Dell.
Nicastro, R., 2021. The Holonic Christ: Catholicity as Individuation and Integration. Religions, 12(9), p.686.​