Thomas Homer-Dixon on Civilization Far From Equilibrium

[jimbills]

Huh. He spends the first 2/3 of the presentation showing how increased complexity in civilizations is inevitable and how that increased complexity requires increased energy use to function. Fine. He thens goes into how we're about to run short of our most important energy source (oil) and EROEI is rapidly dwindling. Okay. He then suggests our way out is via further increased complexity (very complicated means of energy extraction). It's a contradiction.

[Inannawhimsey]

Larry Niven & Jerry Pournelle had an interesting book "A Mote in God's Eye" with an interesting race called the 'Moties' who figured out that their civilizations could only grow so much before collapsing back into the stone age, so they adapted by making it so that when they did collapse, their ancestors would be able to start on the path to growth & progress again. Maybe that's what we are going to have to deal with for ourselves?

[hitssquad]

@Inannawhimsey What would cause civilization to collapse?