On Simplicity, A Ramble

What if the simplest explanation is actually the solution? Such is the argument behind Occam’s Razor, the philosophical principle asserting the simplest explanation is most likely the correct one. Even in an increasingly complex world, simplicity can be found at every intersection, urging us to take a step back and truly evaluate the situations we face everyday. I’d like to take a look at simplicity in several different forms -- what follows is a ramble stemming from a book about farming, and more specifically, a book about trusting simplicity. 

At the essence of Teaming with Microbes is the principle of the soil food web. The authors argue although the soil food web is itself complex and full of countless interacting constituents, cultivating and maintaining healthy soil is quite simple. Furthermore, they suggest understanding the soil food web and implementing strategies that support the integrity of the soil, results in less effort, beautiful soil, and healthier yields. A primary argument manifests throughout the book, trust nature for nature knows best. 

The soil food web, coined by Dr Elaine Ingham, is a complex system filled with countless microorganisms and minerals. Specifically, the food web maps the symbiotic relationship between microorganisms and plants, and how those relationships restore soil biology and lead to healthy, organic yields. The authors of Teaming with Microbes argue that modern gardening practices have destroyed the natural soil food web, and this destruction explains the common issues faced by many gardeners today. In essence, gardening has become a parallel to everyday life, where slapping a band-aid on the problem is a standard, and expected, solution. Experiencing a headache or other pain? Take some ibuprofen. Pests overrunning the garden? Shower on the pesticides. The dominos begin to fall. Downstream the headache reemerges, the garden deteriorates, more band aids are needed to counteract the wake of the first. The idea of immediate relief or satisfaction has rewired our brains to seek the hit without understanding the consequences of our behavior or addressing the root of the issue. We’ve become dependent on the band aid. How can we expect anything to change if the root cause is left unattended? 

Let’s expand the gardening example. Healthy soil is a product of a balanced ecosystem where the existence of one organism supports the existence of another. Conversely, the absence of an organism disrupts the balance, producing an exploitable environment. Left unchecked, an organism, such as Elk in Yellowstone without the Gray Wolf, grows in population size, ultimately deteriorating the ecosystem. On a garden scale, maybe the soil becomes too acidic or is now dominated by fungi. In such cases, we see the average gardener reach for herbicides or pesticides, further compounding the destruction of the soil food web. In the same way that wolves were reintroduced to Yellowstone to rebalance the ecosystem, we need to understand how to rebalance the soil by reintroducing the missing elements. The authors argue there are only three tools a gardener should need to maintain healthy, balanced soil: compost, compost tea, and mulch (each of which can be modified to address certain problem areas or rebalancing efforts). Such is a lesson we can apply to everyday life, there are simple solutions to rebalance ourselves.

Now, I do not claim to be an expert in the soil food web, or an expert in anything in that regard. I like the approach of knowing enough to be dangerous, of understanding a variety of processes and appreciating the interconnectedness of life. There is thus value in the modern day renaissance man who appreciates simplicity. So how did modern common day life get so complex, where often we are so far down the domino chain, we can’t see the way out? We could go down the path of societal evolution and specialization, subsequently overhauling the homosapien way of life in the common era. There are countless essays regarding the topic, but at the center of it all is agriculture. Now, would I take it as far as Jared Diamond to argue agriculture is the “greatest blunder in human history”? I would hesitate to make such an argument. However, understanding how valuable food is to one’s well being, to one’s surrounding ecosystem, we could ask the question, why do we think we are superior to the “natural world”? Nature will exist far beyond the presence of humans, so why are we not extracting principles from nature rather than extracting nature itself?  

At a glance, modern society tends to quantify everything, but see the significance of nothing. As we have seen in the past few decades, at the foundation of our society is innovation. Innovation is a beast in itself, so for now, let’s merely regard innovation as the overall process of improving efficiency. The standard definition suggests an effort to quantify progress. Looking at an agricultural perspective, there is a necessity to feed a global population nearing 8 billion. Using the US as an example, an unbelievable quantity of land has been converted into use by industrial monocrop agriculture. Monocrop agriculture has resulted in quantifying the yields we extract from the land, without seeing the side effects of doing so. There are no ecosystems in monocrop agriculture, no sense of balance. Therefore, in an attempt to explain such a transformation, we could then argue humanity, once again, has prioritized against nature. Humanity, which has been in existence for a mere split second in relative terms to the universe, has asserted an approach that necessitates high yields at the expense of anything else, including the health of humans as a result of those practices. Research suggests repurposing monocrop land is not only feasible, but a viable solution to food production, carbon sequestration, and overall ecosystem health (for more on this topic, I defer to Joel Salatin). 

There are a lot of unanswered questions in this thought experiment in favor of simplicity. However, I believe there is something to be said about respecting the natural processes that allowed humanity to usurp the planet. There is significance in the studies which demonstrate our ancestors tended to live healthier than the average human does today. As I stated in the beginning of this ramble, the simplest solution is often the right one. Is the simplest solution, not then, letting nature be nature? I believe the way forward can be explained from a set of principles in favor of simplicity, in all aspects of life. I aim to ramble about such principles in the future.    

I do not claim to be an expert in the field of agriculture, or overall health for that matter. If anything, I’d hope anyone who reads this starts thinking of the power of simplicity. I recommend reading Teaming with Microbes yourself, to fully understand how understanding the root issues of your problems, be it in a garden or with your health, can be addressed with simple solutions. With regards to large scale agriculture, look up some of Joel Salatin’s ideas on how to repurpose single-use land. I’ll leave you with this: you don’t need more when things go wrong, you also might not even need less. Simply just recalibrate and recharge, like an old car battery. Take a walk. Listen to some Bad Bunny. It’s all going to be okay.