Fear of Losing Immortality

There’s something I’ve been pondering for a long time about the reluctance of the collective conscience, particularly in the US, to accept the implications of peak oil theory. It’s there, just below the surface, but drives many the various psychological defense mechanisms that people have built up.

It’s the general philosophy that we as a species are above and apart from nature. It’s found in many religions. It’s definitely found in Star Trek. It’s a pillar of both Communism and Capitalism. It’s the universal idea that we are special, our superior brains separate us from the biosphere we inhabit. That we can transcend any traditional limits that nature sets for a species. That through ever greater technological innovation our species can continue to expand its size and consumption levels indefinitely into the future.

The Oil Drum: NYC