Paper short abstract:

This paper aims to discuss the contributions of the Gilbert Simondon's concepts and theory to an ongoing research which has as object the Permaculture technologies. There will be presented the influence of Simondon's thought for the choice of object and the approach to the field research.

Paper long abstract:

This paper aims to discuss the contributions of the Gilbert Simondon's concepts for an ongoing master degree research, titled: « Technology and environment in Permaculture: prospecting the social-environmental crisis ». In its presentation will be discussed issues about the influence of Simondon's thought on the choice of this research object and its delimitation, as well on the kind of approach employed in the field research, which is inspired on his most influential work « On the mode of existence of technical objects » (1980). To support a preliminar discussion about the incidence of a « simondonian perspective » on the Permaculture it will be presented the results of the firsts months of field research, that concerns a set of reflections about the activities, techniques, modes of conduct, pratices and other actions that are driven by the « Permaculture Principles », wich are been investigated. The field research has been developed at intentional communytis, where has been instaured alternative and sustainable technological systems as ecological consctructions, agroforestry systems and domestic sewage ecological treatment, wich is called on this research as « hibrid technics » in reference of the concepts of technics in Simondon (1989) and hibrid in Bruno Latour. This nomenclature aims to express an combination of a « technic thought » (Simondon, 1989), included on those systems, with a non-humam (Latour, 1993) actif collaboration that is also observed on the fonctionnement and constitution of the construction technics and even in the inventive process.