belief, fact & thermodynamics part 2

peak oil is a fact.

what then?

We must venture into the contested realm of the mind and with it cultural attitudes.

The laws of thermodynamics rule the physical realm, but not necessarily the mental. Facts belong to the physical real, but not necessarily the mental. Since the mental predominantly shapes the cultural then we must ask some questions about our culture. Hard questions...

What is the value of the human in an era of energy descent?
What is the role of democracy in a post-modern, post-cheap oil age?
Can and should we uphold universal human rights?
Where do we draw moral boundaries between ourselves and the environment?
How are we going to respond to crisis in a Machiavellian milieu?

We are looking, at the very least, a reduction of complexity in our society; at the most, utter collapse. In any event this entails a reduction of wealth and privilege for many people, particularly Americans. I wish I could be optimimistic about human nature in these type of situations but I am not, it would be naive to thing that these people will not attempt to cling to whatever privileges they have. This will bring out the worst in our already faltering democratic institutions. When these type of institutions are stressed they tend to produce demagogues. The worst type of leader is the one whom thinks he has a "universal" mandate from the people and therefore is able to justify nearly enything imaginable. Our people will rise up such a leader in our desperation.

This is very likely to spell the end of representative government in the USA. And with it the quaint notions of the equality of citizens before the law. There may be a Christian spin to it for awhile anyway, but in the end we will have succombed to our own materialism.

The irony is that it does not have to be this way. So many people today live in dire conditions and still maintain there humanity and honesty. They are able to see beyond the veil of material security and comfort, living day to day by the "grace of God." This is where culture comes through for these people. They have not necessarily lived in the "land of plenty" where for generations we have never know want. We have no experience of hardship, no context for our upcoming situation. This is why I am not optimistic. It is only too clear to me that we take our entitlements for granted.

There is something like the "law of irony" at work here. We have been a vigorous nation, hard working, future looking, idealistic. We deserved the fruits of our labors, the comforts and the many energy slaves. However since the end of World War II things changed. We became the hegemon, definitively since the 1990's. Now, three generations later, we have grown soft and insolent. Following the well-trodden path of imperial peak and decline, in our jingoistic hubris we command other peoples: "with us or against us."

We are past the point of return. The republic is dead, the UN is dying and the end game is OIL. Machiavelli chuckles in the grave will Jefferson rolls in his.

What then are we supposed to give up on progress? Simply jettison the entire Enlightenment project for the old world of realpolitik? This question has already been answered in the affirmative by our leaders. Thanks.