tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6702659934448838326.post4718209816173629987..comments2023-07-30T08:37:02.307-07:00Comments on The Leibowitz Society: BalkanizationLeibowitz Societyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05420328289777540352noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6702659934448838326.post-37095179470689487792011-09-28T10:09:10.579-07:002011-09-28T10:09:10.579-07:00I should pick up a copy of his work. While it'...I should pick up a copy of his work. While it's probably not news to most people who study collapse, it seems like it would be a good loaner.<br /><br />I'm still surprised at how discussions about the oncoming reality still don't happen in anything but a very small scale. The "kook" label is thrown around readily, but if you took a person in 1325 who suggested that fleas would nearly taken down Europe, they would've probably been branded a lunatic as well.<br /><br />I guess it's not that the information is not available, but just that to even admit that there are going to be increasing problems is something of a heresy, such is the faith that we've put in systems which are relatively as old to humanity as humanity is to life on earth.Leibowitz Societyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05420328289777540352noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6702659934448838326.post-15236924193283995402011-09-27T22:11:05.379-07:002011-09-27T22:11:05.379-07:00This point is elaborated in a well-researched and ...This point is elaborated in a well-researched and well-written form in Richard Heinberg's new book, "The End of Growth."<br />I've bought several copies to give to otherwise thinking friends who seem to need a bit wider perspective. <br />Chapters are available for download on his website:<br />richardheinberg.comUnknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00540636803235525710noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6702659934448838326.post-64939528843071663782011-09-27T07:00:57.876-07:002011-09-27T07:00:57.876-07:00I think one problem clearly is that "sustaina...I think one problem clearly is that "sustainability" still is not really present in the collective mindset, as witnessed by the expectation of perpetual economic growth. While it's debatable whether or not human existence on earth is technically a closed system (extra-terrestrial inputs such as solar energy, comet strikes, etc, notwithstanding), for practical purposes, we have finite fossil fuels, finite water supply capacity, living space, etc, so the notion that the economy can continue to expand is a relic of 16th century thought that looked to conquer and exploit new markets. I mean, we look at the economy in terms of whether or not it's growing (read: people are figuring out new niches to exploit, like rats looking for a sack of grain in the basement), while ignoring questions like how stable are the systems we're building? And how long can an economy grow, anyway?<br /><br />The tragedy probably can best be summed up that the window of opportunity humanity had to move forward on a long-term basis was probably closed by short-sightedly squandering our global resources on wars and producing pointless consumer trinkets and massively inefficient production and transportation systems, etc.<br /><br />The reality is that we're not able to sustain the growth, that "growth" itself is now becoming a game of trying to crunch the numbers so that the restive public doesn't really see how we've reached the top of the hill and are starting back down the other side. Like everything, we're not going to really see this point for what it is until it's in the rearview, but it's definitely there.Leibowitz Societyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05420328289777540352noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6702659934448838326.post-58515713415575053852011-09-27T06:25:35.241-07:002011-09-27T06:25:35.241-07:00It's amazing how complicated politics and fina...It's amazing how complicated politics and finance can be swept away by the 2nd law of thermodynamics: <br />"The second law of thermodynamics can be stated as saying that the entropy of an isolated system always increases, and processes which increase entropy can occur spontaneously." Wikipedia.<br />National/financial groups have attempted to circumvent this law by increasing the size of "the isolated system" through globalization. As in many areas of life it worked...until it didn't.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6702659934448838326.post-36618713475496013382011-09-26T18:16:24.194-07:002011-09-26T18:16:24.194-07:00Thank you for the writeup!Thank you for the writeup!john patrickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00620564826238745895noreply@blogger.com