tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5939915290794973654.post7145927479940313813..comments2024-03-08T14:23:31.503-05:00Comments on A Puff of Absurdity: Chomsky's Optimism: On Climate Change, Nuclear War, and ActivismMarie Snyderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13872774009526266579noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5939915290794973654.post-35723580365425528572020-01-18T23:18:30.874-05:002020-01-18T23:18:30.874-05:00I'm in the middle of Harari's recent book....I'm in the middle of Harari's recent book. it'll be interesting to see how it all pans out, if there are still people around to see it!Marie Snyderhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13872774009526266579noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5939915290794973654.post-82610950945339689322020-01-18T19:19:44.170-05:002020-01-18T19:19:44.170-05:00It's said the reason we don't share our si...It's said the reason we don't share our sidewalks with little green people from distant galaxies is that intelligent life is self-extinguishing. Jared Diamond, in his book "Collapse," notes that, when human societies collapse they're invariably at their zenith and that collapse comes on, not gradually, but very rapidly. Here today, gone tomorrow.<br /><br />Look at where we are. Nearly eight billion of us sharing a planet that, at our current rates of consumption and longevity, is estimated to be capable of sustainably supporting a population of around two billion. Even if we could find solutions we don't have the will to make the changes necessary for our own survival.<br /><br />I expect we will witness seismic change over the course of the 20s. When it arrives we will be, of choice, entirely unprepared to absorb the impacts.<br /><br />Democracy? Yuval Harari contends democracy is already on borrowed time. The circumstances that elevated the individual from serfdom to citizen are waning. He argues that automation (robotics) and AI will render most of humanity unnecessary within a few generations. Democracy was only necessary so long as the masses were. Once we lose much of our utility democracy will become an impediment to more resilient power structures. The Disaffected Libhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13135599782685108764noreply@blogger.com