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“‘Let me give you a lesson in practical politics.’ Senator Burt looked at his wristwatch, leaned back and smiled. ‘It is a mistake,’ he said, ‘to suppose that t

“‘Let me give you a lesson in practical politics.’ Senator Burt looked at his wristwatch, leaned back and smiled. ‘It is a mistake,’ he said, ‘to suppose that the public wants the environment protected or their lives saved and that they will be grateful to any idealist who will fight for such ends. What the public wants is their own individual comfort. ‘Now then, young man, don’t ask me to stop the Pumping. The economy and comfort of the entire planet depend on it. Tell me, instead, how to keep the Pumping from exploding the Sun.’ Lamont said, ‘There is no way, Senator. We are dealing with something here that is so basic, we can’t play with it. We must stop it.’ ‘Ah, and you suggest only that we go back to matters as they were before Pumping.’ ‘We must.’ ‘In that case, you will need hard and fast proof you are right.’ ‘The best proof,’ Lamont said stiffly, ‘is to have the Sun explode.'” There is always a tension between short term gains and long term planning. I think history, economics, psychology, behavioral economics all pretty much agree that most people are terrible at long term planning and they will consistently sacrifice long term gains for short term gains in exchange for a much worse future for all involved. I'm not as optimistic as the author of that book. I don't think there is a way to crack this nut and get long term thinking to be the norm. When even people who have cancer because of the kind of environment they live in are voting to weaken the power of the EPA what hope is there?

visarga 10y ago
Progress comes from technology, not politics. We evolved despite our political mess, not the other way around.
snowwrestler 10y ago
For those not familiar with it, the above quote is from "The Gods Themselves" by Isaac Asimov--a very good science fiction novel.
bostik 10y ago
I recognise that excerpt. The Gods Themselves, by Asimov. Of his works that I've read, "optimistic" is not the word I would associate with this particular book. It is cynical from the outset, with even the prologue making a point that scientific progress is mostly achieved out of spite. As for the solution to the problem in the book ... IIRC it happens mostly by accident. The underlying tone in the story is that despite the importance of scientific advances, the driving force is always that of a personal vendetta. After all, in the story Lamont spends his career seeking revenge, trying to find a way to shoot the messenger of the uninformed and dangerous view. Optimistic? I prefer jaded. EDIT: originally I remembered it was a Heinlein book. Changed to Asimov.

visarga 10y ago

Progress comes from technology, not politics. We evolved despite our political mess, not the other way around.

snowwrestler 10y ago

For those not familiar with it, the above quote is from "The Gods Themselves" by Isaac Asimov--a very good science fiction novel.

bostik 10y ago

I recognise that excerpt. The Gods Themselves, by Asimov. Of his works that I've read, "optimistic" is not the word I would associate with this particular book. It is cynical from the outset, with even the prologue making a point that scientific progress is mostly achieved out of spite. As for the solution to the problem in the book ... IIRC it happens mostly by accident. The underlying tone in the story is that despite the importance of scientific advances, the driving force is always that of a personal vendetta. After all, in the story Lamont spends his career seeking revenge, trying to find a way to shoot the messenger of the uninformed and dangerous view. Optimistic? I prefer jaded. EDIT: originally I remembered it was a Heinlein book. Changed to Asimov.