We have been purposely distracted. :-) I would add a few things to your diagnosis- like advances in medicine which has spared lives formerly lost; industrial food production and distribution (with a new set of problems); and the leisure of the middle class- many sub- topics, here.
Yes- the swing to a youth culture tends to cloud reveries. Education- too huge for my morning brain. And shopping cart shopping and warehouse stores- I think that has encouraged binge-like consumerism. Monotonous shopping malls. Our freeway/highway system chopping through cities. There is a difference between human stupidity/cupidity and natural disasters. On Aug 1, 11:38 pm, archytas <[email protected]> wrote: > The world population has nearly tripled in my lifetime. I don't think > we have done anything sensible as a collective during my time. > Economics is barking mad stuff. There is a lot of technology we could > have used to sensible ends, but even with agriculture we have just let > it feed over-breeding. I think we do need a scientific fix, but some > scientists are revolting - we've just had a case of one keeping a > slave. We may be lucky to shuffle off before some really revolting > war Rigsby. > The question as to what is a 'natural disaster' is interesting Para. > I guess a comet coming out of 'left field' would count, or a super- > volcano or two. Much of the rest, like massive flooding because trees > have been eradicated or rivers diverted, all of Africa and so on have > our fingerprints all over. > > I sort of like the notion of of a radical swing to technocracy - but > this clearly can't be anything like what we see under the weird > enforcement of the interests of the rich through democracy. Veblen > argued on this in the early 20th century - with a kind of 'open your > minds irony' rather than recommendations. My grandson (13) shows > occasional interest in the world, but is quickly diverted into > trinkets and teenage matehood. I find much of the world and many of > the people around me like this - the anarchist perspective of people > trapped in a society of perpetual childhood. Paradox and I 'doing > cricket' is a bit of an example - I still have a bit of an image of me > digging out his in-swinger with my very late back-foot play! Nothing > wrong with this, until all seems rendered trivial. I particularly > despise 'Blue Peter' (Sesame Street) reporting for adults. > > We should now lapse into euphoria as England rise to number one Para! > Let's get the whites cleaned up in case we get the call from Lords! > > Not much is 'natural' in human affairs, and a technocratic approach > would need economics and banking stripped away to something primitive > enough for us to understand relations between work and reward, yet > also provide the means for us to include many more costs than we do > now. I favour doing this through higher wages to take capital out of > the hands of a rich few and away from centralised government, but also > see no point in this if it would just fund breeding or the idiot > consumption society. > > From the Gaia perspective one can call pretty much all disasters > natural - she will survive our idiot behaviour, including climate > change. > > On Aug 1, 1:46 pm, rigsy03 <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > > To fix what, paradox? Yes- there have been strides in science and > > applications but there have been terrible goofs, as well, plus lack of > > understanding and poor stewardship of the planet. I really don't agree > > that man can conquer Mother Nature to his own needs or whims- look at > > dams and the redirecting of rivers, instance, or the wearing-out of > > agricultural lands or the dumping of waste and contamination. I am > > wondering if all these wind turbines are causing the problems in > > Texas- heat + fires as they alter the pattern of wind...and wave the > > rain clouds away, alas. Somalia is mostly a political catastrophe and > > charity will not alter its climate or poor land- in fact, the long > > term damage to those starving children may have already happened > > though their lives may be saved. What lives? > > > On Jul 31, 3:13 am, paradox <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > Lol. Not if the science of longevity has anything to do with it :) > > > > Dont be pessimistic, rigsy; nature does it's thing, as does man; but > > > it takes the capacity and the will of man to fix. > > > > On Jul 31, 8:38 am, rigsy03 <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > > When Nature is to blame vs rotten governments/economics? I read the > > > > population of Africa will rise 49% by 2050 and world population will > > > > be 9 billion. I'll be dead. :-) > > > > > On Jul 30, 7:43 am, paradox <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > > > Listening to some tv coverage of the humanitarian disaster (yet again) > > > > > unfolding in the Horn of Africa, i learnt from a knowledgeable > > > > > commentator that in order to respond appropriately, global aid and > > > > > humanitarian quasi-governmental organisations actually have to > > > > > classify a disaster by a fatality ratio; which got me thinking. When > > > > > is a natural disaster a natural disaster?- Hide quoted text - > > > > > - Show quoted text -- Hide quoted text - > > > > - Show quoted text -- Hide quoted text - > > - Show quoted text -
