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Or instead of risking nuclear war, where there are no winners, only losers - just accept that things change and you can't be top dog forever. That said, I don'
by eloff 8y ago
Or instead of risking nuclear war, where there are no winners, only losers - just accept that things change and you can't be top dog forever.
That said, I don't actually think China will replace the US as top dog. It's growing faster yes, but has serious Japan-like demographic problems fast approaching. The thing about demographic problems is they're predictable and almost impossible to escape.
In absolute dollar value terms, the US is still competitive with China, which means they'll likely never close that gap before their demographics catch up with them.
- vtange 8y agoTop dogs will always try to stay top dog for as long as possible and they are willing. It is what people would naturally do even if the stage was a video game, or if they were fighting for civil rights. Some people tend not to just "know their place."
- eloff 8y agoI fully agree that it goes against human nature and history. However, it has to go against those things. We live in an age of weapons so terrible that the kind of global conflict that defined the first half of the twentieth century must just never happen again because the consequences would be truly unthinkable. Advanced civilization is a fragile thing. We gain a lot of efficiency from extreme specialization - but we also lose a lot of resiliency. A global nuclear war would end civilization as we know it, and who knows how long it would take to recover - especially with the easily accessible resources already consumed. That's not to say that it won't happen - but we shouldn't permit it, or support those who would.