Renewable Revolution

Quote from: Surly1 on June 27, 2019, 06:02:59 am

I have been listening to a podcast series on the History of Byzantium, which traces the continuation of the Roman Empire from the fall of Rome through the Turkish conquest of Constantinople in 1453. Armenia plays a huge role in the stability of the Empire and contributes some Emperors, in fact.

I am convinced that George R.R. Martin was influenced in his writing of A Song of Fire and ice vey the history of the Eastern Empire.

I wasn't aware of that. Thank you for sharing. It seems things didn't work out for Armenia the way the Apostles Bartholomew and Thaddeus hoped. But then again, the prince of this world always keeps doing what he does everywhere.

Excellent video about the preppers. 👍 Preparing for short term lack of civilization is prudent. However, I agree with the lady that prepping for total collapse is futile.

Hobbes was an atheist. He basically thought all humans operate under "situational" ethics. IOW, he thought altruistic, caring behavior within a society vanishes under lack of resources collapse. Any, even brief, study of allegedly "uncivilized" indigenous tribes proves that this so-called "war of all against all", which alllegedly ensues when there are not eough resources to go around AND no big dog central authority to keep everyone "civilized", is baloney.

Hobbes' world view was exactly like that of a pirate in those days (and Wall Streeters now). He just added a lot of intellectual doubletalk verbiage to it.

Hobbes erroneously believed, like too many in the USA do today, that carrying capacity is all that matters and CARING capacity is a function of carrying capacity.

Actually, the reverse is the true. Hobbes had it exactly backwards. Carrying Capacity is a function of Caring Capacity. Without sufficient Caring Capacity, we all become pirates in a war of all against all.
 

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"Technical knowledge of Carrying Capacity will not save us; only a massive increase in Caring Capacity will." -- A. G. Gelbert

You will not be surprised to know the I agree with you.

I have had a couple of instances in my life to put that to the test. For example, during hurricane Isabel, an otherwise inconsequential storm that passed right over Hampton Roads and uprooted many trees. We lived without power for several weeks. What I found was that neighbors pooled their resources together and shared what they had with one another to get by. Those were days when you could imagine reverting to a 16th-century lifestyle. When the sun went down, it got dark, unless you lit a candle. Entertainments consisted of playing musical instruments, singing, or cards by candlelight. or an early bedtime (my favorite.)

Perhaps people were sharing, kind, and civil because they knew the power would eventually come back on. Somehow I doubt it. But I could be wrong; I often am. But I do believe the communitarian spirit is hardwired into all of us, and only the sociopaths (read: capitalists) make it go awry.