world government

[Roberto Verzola <rverzola@phil.gn.apc.org>]

 >Jay Hanson:
 >Studies show the US already has too many people to operate on solar
 >power: "Several studies indicate that to enjoy a relatively high
 >standard of living, America's human population should be 200 million
 >or less (Pimentel et al., 1994a)."

It simply means that Americans have to learn how to live using less
energy and on a lower standard of living. My point in all these is
that there is a way out, if people think hard to find out how to do it
and enough people want to do it. This is very different from your
dead-end, dieoff, "we're finished; there's no hope" scenario.

 >>We simply need to learn how to do recycling better.
 >One can not recycle energy.

When I wrote that, the context was clearly in terms of recycling the
metals which we've already dug out of the ground, and your conclusion
that they are gone. The metals are not gone, because matter cannot be
destroyed. They are all around us, waiting to be recycled. It is true
less energy will be available; it simply means we will have to be more
patient, because recycling will take longer.

 >I am afraid this doesn't really say anything.  What exactly does this
 >have to do with the real world?

If you try to become more familiar with the recent studies about
self-organization and complexity, you'll find out that they have a lot
to do with the real world, because they explain better how
self-organization and complexity comes about in the real world. Based
on their new insights, these come about from the local interactions
among components whose behavior is governed by relatively simple
rulesets. Once you appreciate this, you'll stop wasting your time
calling for a world government of coercion -- which can only make
things worse -- and spend your time more productively making sure
that:

* local interactions are allowed to occur freely, minus the
  restraints and impositions of those who are trying to impose
  global rule, and

* the rulesets that guide the local interactions are well-thought
  out over a long time horizon of many generations.

Roberto Verzola