Human beings might think that they are special, but they're not. — Metaphysician Undercover
Optimistic perhaps, but I see no magical thinking in these proposals — karl stone
I don't know what this means. I don't speak emoji, and don't know where these two words are removed from, nor to what they refer. But thank you for your interest. — karl stone
Raise the standard of living and the people having so many children will rapidly diminish.I think the biggest problem is that there are too many human beings on the earth. — Metaphysician Undercover
The only thing different between animals and humans is that the latter can alter their perspective on life but the former can't. — Agent Smith
What if there's not enough time? Would you regret the wasted effort? — karl stone
That's a truism, I suppose. I'm not sure it's a matter of having endless potential solutions waiting to go, and only the time and resources to develop one, but okay, sure - tell me, why would a nasa approved technology with the potential to provide near limitless clean energy, not be a priority? — karl stone
Also I don't agree that we are already "at the despair". You may be: I think promoting magical thinking might be a symptom. — Janus
Our inaction speaks to our despair. We face an existential threat the likes of which humanity has never experienced, and we avert our gaze. What is this, if not despair? — hypericin
The magical thinking we require is, "we can succeed, if only we give it absolutely everything". — hypericin
The sheer scale of the energy available changes the equation in a most unexpected way; and that's what I'm trying to communicate. I assumed for a long time that sustainability required sacrifice, and couldn't see past that - but because of magma energy, I don't believe that's true, nor is it the right approach. The best and right approach to climate change is to have massively more clean energy to spend; not slightly less similarly polluting energy. That way leads to madness! — karl stone
May I direct you to NASA's final report on the magma energy project. I'm sure that will answer many of your questions. It's too much here. No magical thinking though. NASA don't go in for that sort of thing.
https://www.osti.gov/biblio/6588943 — karl stone
Resources are a function of the energy available to create them. Given limitless clean energy to spend there is no bottleneck in humankind's foreseeable future. We are not running out of anything; except perhaps helium - which I think can be manufactured given enough energy. — karl stone
Looked at in this way, it follows that limits to growth is the consequence of a misapplication of technology. No-one need have a carbon footprint. I'm not claiming magma energy would solve everything right away, but abundant clean energy gives subsequent generations the best shot at a decent future. And limitless clean energy changes the calulus of economic rationality; allowing for recycling for example, or desalination and irrigation. The increase in downstream value will sustain civilisation. — karl stone
Get involved in philosophical discussions about knowledge, truth, language, consciousness, science, politics, religion, logic and mathematics, art, history, and lots more. No ads, no clutter, and very little agreement — just fascinating conversations.