Very much enjoyed the discussion between Gregor and you.
I think that the ultimate problem, one that cannot be solved short of cataclysmic wars, is that it is improbable as a matter of mathematics to assume that any economy, including the global one, can maintain continuous growth.
In a world whose population is growing, the cruel imperatives of the exponential function mean that growth will slow or go negative because the 'stuff' and energy required to fuel it are ultimately limited. Our ingenuity, as amazing as it is, ultimately cannot create enough substitutes (such as unlimited debt) to keep the hamster wheel turning. In short, I think we are reaching the point where it will become pretty much impossible to have GDPs that double in real terms every 25 to 35 years. Severe dislocations are a given, and it doesn't much matter whether they take a deflationary or inflationary form. We may be seeing the first of them as we speak. And it doesn't help that we have such incredible world-wide disparities between rich and poor.
The end is near.
Okay, maybe not The End but a real s***tstorm.
I fear that we will engage in war to thin the herd so that energy and 'stuff' per capita increase. We seem biologically programmed to reach for this solution.
Our biological programming is IMO opinion responsible for the conundrum we face - we all want more riches, a better life, etc., - without reflecting on the consequences achieving these goals create. |
