you’re now, in effect, looking past the trees for fruit in outer space.
Even now that the “writing is on the wall” regarding the inevitable decline in fossil-fueled net energy, humans seem to assume that they can solve the problem of declining energy and resource quality with still MORE complexity, which is a lot like trying to get slim on a diet of French fries and ice cream, or put out a fire by adding napalm. So, here’s m y simple advice for your complex situation: your future societies will be simpler because you’ve got a one -way ticket to steady-state energy use. Whether this future simplicity is rationally designed with functional beauty and sophistication, well-matched to real human needs, or is just “what’s left” after abrupt stages of involuntary simplification, is something worth thinking about. The Bottom Line: Societies tend to solve problems by investing more and more resources into complex answers. But there is a tradeoff between complexity and resilience.
The Energy Cost of Getting Energy
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