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somebodyelse
In_Is_Out

Registered: 06/12/03
Posts: 296
Last seen: 20 years, 7 months
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some meat for the grinder
#1705149 - 07/11/03 05:16 AM (20 years, 7 months ago) |
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I posted a link to this in the politics forum too, but since I guess not all of y'all browse there, here it is again. The link is an interview with Jay Hanson, a guy who has combined sustainability studies and evolutionary psychology over a decade of intensive reading, and come up with the conslusion that we're fucked. Which may not be news, but the interview is good reading (and touches on philosophy, consciousness, etc etc which makes it relevant to this forum).
http://dieoffinterview.tripod.com/
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AislingGheal
A wave on the ocean



Registered: 02/22/03
Posts: 988
Loc: Northern Ohio
Last seen: 2 years, 1 month
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Re: some meat for the grinder [Re: somebodyelse]
#1705558 - 07/11/03 10:57 AM (20 years, 7 months ago) |
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That was a fantastic interview, very thought provoking. I had never heard of him before but I'll visit his website for sure. Total control on a global scale or certain apocalypse, not a pretty picture. I would hope he is wrong but he makes some excellent points.
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"I hate having to pick between the lesser of two evils. But I'm glad Obama was elected. McCain was another war monger. I'd rather deal with our country going into debt than trying to take on afghanistan...oh wait FUCK!" - Fungus_tao
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Adamist
ℚṲℰϟ✞ЇѺℵ ℛ∃Åʟḯ†У


Registered: 11/23/01
Posts: 10,211
Loc: Bloomington, IN
Last seen: 9 years, 2 days
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Re: some meat for the grinder [Re: somebodyelse]
#1705820 - 07/11/03 12:21 PM (20 years, 7 months ago) |
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I had a dream last night in which most of the South East of the U.S. became covered with sea water. 
I survived by hijacking this rich kid's water-proof hummer, then drove it underwater to a gas station only to find that there was no gas stations underwater. Then I woke up.
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{ { { ṧ◎ηḯ¢ αʟ¢ℌ℮мƴ } } }
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atomikfunksoldier
T'was born oftrue in the yearof the cock!

Registered: 04/07/03
Posts: 1,500
Loc: a human-infested anthill
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Re: some meat for the grinder [Re: Adamist]
#1706412 - 07/11/03 03:25 PM (20 years, 7 months ago) |
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what are this guys credentials?
-------------------- enjoy the entertaining indentity i have constructed for you while you can.
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Rhizoid
carbon unit


Registered: 01/22/00
Posts: 1,739
Loc: Europe
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Re: some meat for the grinder [Re: somebodyelse]
#1707722 - 07/12/03 01:03 AM (20 years, 7 months ago) |
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I read the interview but haven't visited his site. What I don't understand is why he thinks global totalitarianism is the only way to avoid global dieoff? Just look around, fertility rates are going down well below the sustainability level (which is 2.1 babies per woman) in all developed countries, without any controls on reproduction than voluntary chosen ones.
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AislingGheal
A wave on the ocean



Registered: 02/22/03
Posts: 988
Loc: Northern Ohio
Last seen: 2 years, 1 month
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Re: some meat for the grinder [Re: Rhizoid]
#1708350 - 07/12/03 11:33 AM (20 years, 7 months ago) |
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A hopeful statistic in the face of a very gloomy forecast. I don't know how the sustainability level is determined but I'm willing to bet Hanson would argue that point specifically. If Consumerism continues unabated across the globe then figuring out a sustainability level would be difficult to do accurately. Economist perpetuate the myth of unlimited growth potential with finite resources, which goes down well in times of abundance. I remember the Gas Crisis in the 70's, I was just a kid but I remember the sense of unease and frustration at the time in many of the adults. 15 years later and it was like it never happened, ancient history. The world is corporate, driven by spending and short memories, it seems we will run out of key resources but the problem in general is left for our children to deal with. I hope that Humanity proves in the long run to be nobler than Mr. Hanson envisions, but the present climate seems to me very dark indeed.
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"I hate having to pick between the lesser of two evils. But I'm glad Obama was elected. McCain was another war monger. I'd rather deal with our country going into debt than trying to take on afghanistan...oh wait FUCK!" - Fungus_tao
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Rhizoid
carbon unit


Registered: 01/22/00
Posts: 1,739
Loc: Europe
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Re: some meat for the grinder [Re: AislingGheal]
#1708418 - 07/12/03 12:16 PM (20 years, 7 months ago) |
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By "sustainability level" I meant only the reproduction rate that keeps the population size stable: 2.1 babies will reproduce 1 father + 1 mother + 0.1 extra people who never reproduce for some reason or other.
I know there will be problems with oil supply etc. even if all baby production stopped starting from tomorrow, but Hanson seemed to make such a big deal about how we are doomed no matter what we do because of his claim that humans expand their population until dieoff. But obviously that is not always true.
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somebodyelse
In_Is_Out

Registered: 06/12/03
Posts: 296
Last seen: 20 years, 7 months
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Re: some meat for the grinder [Re: Rhizoid]
#1708582 - 07/12/03 01:54 PM (20 years, 7 months ago) |
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His point I believe is that we are already well over a "sustainable" population. I believe from mailing list discussions that he puts the figure of a sustainable human population somewhere between 1 and 2 billion.
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gnrm23
Carpal Tunnel
Registered: 08/29/99
Posts: 6,488
Loc: n. e. OH, USSA
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Re: some meat for the grinder [Re: somebodyelse]
#1713666 - 07/14/03 08:06 AM (20 years, 7 months ago) |
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poet gary snyder seems to agree that the optimax worldpop is about what it was in the early 20th century - between 1 & 2 billion humans... meanwhile, more babies every day, current worldpop must be near 6 1/2 billion, with doubling about every 30 - 40 years... something has got to give...
-------------------- old enough to know better not old enough to care
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