Steve, Something that has my sustainable design friends pulling their hair out now is the evidence that it's a mistake to think you can win the war against resource consumption growth just using efficiency. DOE figures show world energy efficiency doubling (cutting energy/$ in half) nominally every 40 years, while the economies are doubling $ every 20 years. http://www.synapse9.com/Growth&Efficiency.jpg
That kind of subject is a little outside the normal range of scientific questions. At the time of the founding of SFI, though I was just a curious neighbor at the time, there seemed a sense of mission in widening the range of scientific questions. I think that's still relevant. That's why I've been hanging around anyway. Phil Henshaw ¸¸¸¸.·´ ¯ `·.¸¸¸¸ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 680 Ft. Washington Ave NY NY 10040 tel: 212-795-4844 e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] explorations: www.synapse9.com > -----Original Message----- > From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Stephen Guerin > Sent: Thursday, April 12, 2007 12:23 AM > To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Subject: Re: [FRIAM] Can you guess the source. > > > Gus, > > As I was reading through the full Port Huron statement at > http://history.hanover.edu/courses/excerpts/111hur.html I was > thinking, hmm, maybe if we actually developed some of the > distributed net tools we've been talking about it could help. > But then I cam across this passage near the end: > > "Loneliness, estrangement, isolation describe the vast > distance between man and man today. These dominant tendencies > cannot be overcome by better personnel management, nor by > improved gadgets, but only when a love of man overcomes the > idolatrous worship of things by man." > > So I thought, ah, technology may not help...it's a bigger problem. > > Then you write: > > There were even technohippies that believed that the new > > computers could really form a basis for communications and > > analysis--and this was pre-internet. > > This made me think that maybe there is a technological angle... > > In your opinion, where's the leverage for a group like ours? > Is it what we can offer in technological / ideological realm, > or is it local political action? > > -Steve > > > ============================================================ FRIAM Applied Complexity Group listserv Meets Fridays 9a-11:30 at cafe at St. John's College lectures, archives, unsubscribe, maps at http://www.friam.org
