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But do you have a better idea? If you want meaning for people’s lives that rules out mass death and dictator demanded planet-wide austerity and reduction in li

But do you have a better idea? If you want meaning for people’s lives that rules out mass death and dictator demanded planet-wide austerity and reduction in lifestyle down to subsistence - even if anyone could enforce that, which is something people would go to war to defend themselves against. If you individually choose to consume less and own less that’s not enough to make a difference. Has there ever been a time in history where the world has deliberately returned to an earlier state in a positive and successful way (not war or disease setbacks) to model such a thing on, and in a way more planned than your “messing with it to see what happens”? If we don’t pursue the same as we have now but less damaging and trying to reverse the damage, what else could we do that’s possible and not awful?

gmuslera 3y ago
We are wired to try to solve by addition, not by subtraction, for a complex system that we destabilized by adding something, adding even more things is the road to even more destabilization and emergent (usually very destructive) behaviours. That is a useful heuristic on how to deal with things we don't understand fully, it won't go back to the old normal, but have better odds to not worsen a lot things by our new actions. So, to keep pressing the pedal till somewhat, magically, it solves itself is probably the wrong approach. Maybe there is no right approach, maybe there is no solution if you factor not just the planet but the human system that made things this way and keep worsening it. But even as token measure try to move in the right direction is more meaningful than doing it in the wrong one, you are not isolated, more people may follow what you do in either direction. And about the cost/damage of trying the "right" approach in the short term, it probably will be far cheaper than taking the wrong one in a bit longer term. Not caring about the long term is to make sure to have a near enough time limit, essentially a suicidal approach.

gmuslera 3y ago

We are wired to try to solve by addition, not by subtraction, for a complex system that we destabilized by adding something, adding even more things is the road to even more destabilization and emergent (usually very destructive) behaviours. That is a useful heuristic on how to deal with things we don't understand fully, it won't go back to the old normal, but have better odds to not worsen a lot things by our new actions. So, to keep pressing the pedal till somewhat, magically, it solves itself is probably the wrong approach. Maybe there is no right approach, maybe there is no solution if you factor not just the planet but the human system that made things this way and keep worsening it. But even as token measure try to move in the right direction is more meaningful than doing it in the wrong one, you are not isolated, more people may follow what you do in either direction. And about the cost/damage of trying the "right" approach in the short term, it probably will be far cheaper than taking the wrong one in a bit longer term. Not caring about the long term is to make sure to have a near enough time limit, essentially a suicidal approach.