#please leave this '

# Introduction: different situations during the Heterotopia in Portugal in which having a critical point of view was interesting/important

I can't clearly remember the first time I have heard about permaculture, agroforestry, or biodynamic agriculture. It's the kind of subject that somehow, comes out in the middle of a conversation, a radio emission, an article… There is something in the air. Many people feel the need to reconnect with nature, as if the invisible link between us (modern occidental homo sapiens sapiens) and our environment (land, plants, animals) is unravelled and requires some urgent repairs. This may be true. It could be one of the reasons why I became interested in these subjects too. It can even be one of the reasons why I felt the need to learn about the functioning of nature and became a biologist. Nevertheless, this sort of “call of Nature” also became a wonderful marketing argument and now it is everywhere around us: natural food, natural cloth, natural medicine… I believe it is important to be able to make the difference between the real and the fake. Sometimes, keeping a clear mind is truly difficult because we tend to imagine that everything coming from nature is good for us. But natural is not a synonymous of healthful! The most dangerous poisons come from natural products. Wild animals are not supposed to be nice with human beings. A natural medicine can be harmful if taken in an unsuitable way. During Heterotopia in Portugal, we had plenty of fascinating facilitators and interesting workshops. However, as I am a scientist, my brain is trained to doubt. It's really hard to convince me because I need proofs, demonstrations, debates before believing what you are saying. always try to see both sides of the coin: the good as well as the bad. Here I would like to share some reflections about the significance of keeping a critical and objective point of view.

# Permaculture, call of nature and science

# during a session, show both sides of the coin

# theoretical context

# conclusion

~DISCUSSION~~