RObert,

Here's an excerpt from the "Abundance" book you mentioned:
http://www.forbes.com/sites/briancaulfield/2012/01/26/abundance-why-the-future-will-be-much-better-than-you-think/

Of course, the prescription of rational optimism is that we should keep forging ahead "knowing" that our ingenuity will "come up with something".

According to Thomas Cleary in his book "Thunder in the Sky", Taoist theory suggests "that a continued and unrelenting push for "progress" leads to breakdown and regression when it reaches a certain point."

I'm inclined to that view - and I believe that it is a view that is perceived subliminally by the human species.

Here's an article on Matt Ridley's line of Rational Optimism:

http://www.skepticalscience.com/Ridleyriddle1.html

Poirot thanks for the link to the Forbes piece. The Kindle edition of the books not yet available (later this month).

I'm not completely optimistic, humans still have the opportunity to screw up the opportunity that we have right now. We have enough wealth and resources left to create opportunities for the future but if we squander that by either indulgence or pulling back too far future generations may not have enough wealth and resources to create those opportunities again.

R0bert

RObert,

That Taoist doctrine suggests that it is not "withdrawal" from progress that is called for, but a kind of "simmer" so that it is controlled but still cooking (so to speak).

Poirot, continuing on way off topic.

The current state of play over resources (and energy usage etc) re minds me of a story I heard many years ago (getting my old man credentials in order there).

You are travelling and are out of water. You come to a water pump. In a tin under the pump is a bottle of water and a note. The note tells you that the pump has a leather washer in it which dries out. To use the pump you need to pour the water down the pump to moisten the washer then pump as hard as you can for a while and eventually you should get a plentiful supply of clean water. Please refill the bottle when you are done for the benefit of the next traveller.

Do you drink the water (maybe a sip at a time to make it last longer) or use what is available to get the pump working?

R0bert

RObert,

Topic - smopic...I like it when we go meandering....after all, everything is connected.

I like that analogy....will ponder it some more this morning (it's still morning here) and try and think of something similar.

I think if you take Huxley's Brave New World as a guide book for how the future will literally turn out you cant go much wrong. I'd say we're about half way there already. You cant really fault it, and I always wonder why Orwell gets so much credit when Huxley's vision looks much more accurate to me.

Humanists are ridiculously optimistic. Well they're misguided in the first place, because the central aim of humanity is to be entertained. And titillated. You just cant fight that.

You can try and scare people and appeal to fear and loathing all you like (Self loathing as in the humanists), but how can that possibly compete with reality TV and the nipple count in the daily sport and finding a better fitting Bra on ACA. Throw in a bit of grief-porn and mateship, the logies, and whinging about speed cameras and you have the sum total of a nourishing existence.

R0bert,

You put a committee in place to manage the water while it all evaporates, and then you instigate a PPP with a private company to install and maintain a soft drink vending machine. It creates jobs, and the deal is protected by commercial in confidence and you can still have some public servants to regulate the cleanliness of the machince and audit a few KPIs on refreshment delivery. See, you just don't employ enpough people the way you're doing it. You haven't even thought of the advertising potential and how you could cross-market. It's a captive audience at that pump.