[onlooker]

I ask because we all can acknowledge that the world is set to change dramatically in the next few decades. So as our descendants stare back in time to this present, how will they view us? As the greedy, self absorbed myopic arrogant beings that we have demonstrably acted as. Or will they give us the benefit of the doubt and allow for our limitations and vices and feel pity for us. Who knows. I for one would in their shoes see us as the former. A people who forgot to account for either the past or the future. A people lost in materialistic ephemeral considerations.

[DesuMaiden]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('onlooker', 'I') ask because we all can acknowledge that the world is set to change dramatically in the next few decades. So as our descendants stare back in time to this present, how will they view us? As the greedy, self absorbed myopic arrogant beings that we have demonstrably acted as. Or will they give us the benefit of the doubt and allow for our limitations and vices and feel pity for us. Who knows. I for one would in their shoes see us as the former. A people who forgot to account for either the past or the future. A people lost in materialistic ephemeral considerations.

[Subjectivist]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('onlooker', 'I') ask because we all can acknowledge that the world is set to change dramatically in the next few decades. So as our descendants stare back in time to this present, how will they view us? As the greedy, self absorbed myopic arrogant beings that we have demonstrably acted as. Or will they give us the benefit of the doubt and allow for our limitations and vices and feel pity for us. Who knows. I for one would in their shoes see us as the former. A people who forgot to account for either the past or the future. A people lost in materialistic ephemeral considerations.

[onlooker]

Well Sub, to that I say those who forget the past are condemned to repeat it.

[DesuMaiden]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('onlooker', 'W')ell Sub, to that I say those who forget the past are condemned to repeat it.

[onlooker]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('DesuMaiden', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('onlooker', 'W')ell Sub, to that I say those who forget the past are condemned to repeat it.

[DesuMaiden]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('onlooker', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('DesuMaiden', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('onlooker', 'W')ell Sub, to that I say those who forget the past are condemned to repeat it.

[Subjectivist]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('onlooker', 'W')ell Sub, to that I say those who forget the past are condemned to repeat it.

[onlooker]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Subjectivist', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('onlooker', 'W')ell Sub, to that I say those who forget the past are condemned to repeat it.

[ralfy]

The current situation involves one on a global scale and multiple crises amplifying each other, thus making it very different from what happened to empires in the past. More details here:

http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfre ... g-collapse

[jedrider]

They won't have time to think about us. They'll be too busy trying to keep the lights on and the bellies full. I don't see the coming times as a good period to be doing retrospectives. They'll probably view us as being lucky and that is all. I do see the romance of how great a species we are falling by the wayside when we realize that the cockroach has better survival chances than we.

[onlooker]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('ralfy', 'T')he current situation involves one on a global scale and multiple crises amplifying each other, thus making it very different from what happened to empires in the past. More details here:
http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfre ... g-collapse

[DesuMaiden]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('onlooker', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('ralfy', 'T')he current situation involves one on a global scale and multiple crises amplifying each other, thus making it very different from what happened to empires in the past. More details here:
http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfre ... g-collapse

[Timo]

How will future generations view us in this generation?

Well, in hindsight, they'll recognize that we should have had more forethought.

They'll rightfully understand that we lacked the intelligence to use our intelligence to afford them a habitable planet to live on. Coulda! Shoulda! Why the f**k didn't ya? For that generation, we'll be remembered as very intelligent, and very stupid idiots.

This prediction, of course, assumes that there will be a future generation capable of looking backwards in time to ponder this question, and that is not a given.

[Kylon]

I think most people will be relatively unaware of the past.

I predict a global oligarchy, which will maintain the good life for themselves, using renewable resources.

Algae based oceanic biofuel will provide all the oil the elites need to maintain their way of life. Technology will be maintained, but only for the elite.

Many technologies will stagnate (but not disappear), due to the fact that the elite will try and destroy any creative or independent thought in the lower classes, and will so busy oppressing people they won't develop a high level of creativity themselves. Those that are creative will focus their work on developing more effective mechanisms for oppressing the weak, and keeping people down.

There will also be artistic creativity, because artistic creativity doesn't have a military application directly, and it's political applications can be controlled so long as you control all information channels. So toys, and things to entertain the Elite will still exist and new ones will be created.

The vast majority of the population will live in ignorance. Those that are educated and not part of the elites will be educated with extreme specialization, so that they can fufill the task necessary for civilization, but not come up with ideas on their own that would threaten the power structure.

The vast majority of people will essentially be serfs, slaving away, given little information, having little mobility, socially, economically, politically, or geographically.

I don't think that the system will be a complete command economy because capitalism is more efficient. Rather you'll have a small number of people getting the education necessary to make things run, and do whatever creative jobs are required, as well as higher up things. People from the lower classes (there won't be a middle class), will neither have the opportunity to go to universities where they can learn the necessary skills to be successful businessmen or creative class members, and they will be prevented from owning books that would allow them to achieve success.

Quite simply I think we will have a super feudalistic world, where the rich stay rich forever, the poor are brutalized whenever they voice unhappiness, and ignorance is not only encouraged, it's mandated for anybody who isn't part of the elite.

The future children won't think anything of us, because they won't have knowledge of us. After 3 or 4 generations knowledge of the past will be lost. The idea will be "this is how it is, how it was, and how it always will be" They won't know any different, and people won't say it was any different because they don't want the elites to oppress them.

The future looks bad.

[ralfy]

Anything global will likely require high energy returns.

[Tanada]

The word Posterity does not mean just your children and grand children, it means all your decedents into the far future.

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', ' ')noun
1. All succeeding or future generations collectively:
Judgment of this age must be left to posterity.

[DesuMaiden]

Tanada, that is assuming there are humans around in another 500 years from now. But you are right...people centuries from now may be amazed at the legends of our advanced civilization. But they may also criticize us for being so short-sighted that we left our descendants, aka them, with a desolate world with nowhere near as much resources and biodiversity as today.

[careinke]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Kylon', 'I') think most people will be relatively unaware of the past.

I predict a global oligarchy, which will maintain the good life for themselves, using renewable resources.

Algae based oceanic biofuel will provide all the oil the elites need to maintain their way of life. Technology will be maintained, but only for the elite.

Many technologies will stagnate (but not disappear), due to the fact that the elite will try and destroy any creative or independent thought in the lower classes, and will so busy oppressing people they won't develop a high level of creativity themselves. Those that are creative will focus their work on developing more effective mechanisms for oppressing the weak, and keeping people down.

There will also be artistic creativity, because artistic creativity doesn't have a military application directly, and it's political applications can be controlled so long as you control all information channels. So toys, and things to entertain the Elite will still exist and new ones will be created.

The vast majority of the population will live in ignorance. Those that are educated and not part of the elites will be educated with extreme specialization, so that they can fufill the task necessary for civilization, but not come up with ideas on their own that would threaten the power structure.

The vast majority of people will essentially be serfs, slaving away, given little information, having little mobility, socially, economically, politically, or geographically.

I don't think that the system will be a complete command economy because capitalism is more efficient. Rather you'll have a small number of people getting the education necessary to make things run, and do whatever creative jobs are required, as well as higher up things. People from the lower classes (there won't be a middle class), will neither have the opportunity to go to universities where they can learn the necessary skills to be successful businessmen or creative class members, and they will be prevented from owning books that would allow them to achieve success.

Quite simply I think we will have a super feudalistic world, where the rich stay rich forever, the poor are brutalized whenever they voice unhappiness, and ignorance is not only encouraged, it's mandated for anybody who isn't part of the elite.

The future children won't think anything of us, because they won't have knowledge of us. After 3 or 4 generations knowledge of the past will be lost. The idea will be "this is how it is, how it was, and how it always will be" They won't know any different, and people won't say it was any different because they don't want the elites to oppress them.

The future looks bad.

[careinke]

Here is a ten minute speech given by my favorite Anarchist, co-originator of Permaculture, David Holgrem. In the video, he goes into the anarchy side of Permaculture, and how enlightened self interest, can provide the stimulus to collapse the world financial system. This may be the only thing to save or, lesson, the bigger long term threats of Climate Change and Peak Oil. There is a lot of information and insight into the political aspects of permaculture in this speech.

Synopsis:
$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'P')ublished on Feb 18, 2015

"To Collapse Or Not To Collapse: Pushing for economic ruin or building a great transition" was the topic for this unconventional 'debate' for the Sustainable Living Festival held at Federation Square in Melbourne February 2015. David Holmgren was the first of six speakers which also included Jess Moore, George Marshall, Nicole Foss, George Monbiot (Video Link) and Philip Sutton.