Laurenc's Paper

 


Issaqueena Falls, South Carolina



One of my friends is a sociologist who has studied a considerable amount of information about collapse and how society operates within civilization. He is very well-versed in the predicament of ecological overshoot and has written various critiques of different programs which advocate developing fantasies, myths, and fairy tales based upon principles which simply cannot be (infinite growth on a finite planet, for starters). 

His name is Laurenc DeVita, and he currently lives in Alaska. He didn't want a formal introduction; claiming instead that it isn't about him, it is about the words (in the study). So, without further ado, here is Make me dictator and I will save humankind. A rational approach to the emergency of the 21st century.

To say that the idea behind this paper is controversial is putting it lightly. It reeks of hubris, but this is where the magic in the paper actually is. It brings about emotional thinking at first to clear the air and get down to the rational part. Because we are not generally a rational species, but a rationalizing species, we tend to make excuses for all sorts of different things. We justify things after the fact rather than realizing that in some respects, no justifications can be had. In other words, many times these justifications amount to mere denial of reality. Society in many respects simply cannot fathom that our collective addiction to energy is the primary behavioral mechanism responsible for the predicament of ecological overshoot. 

This paper is written in a much different form than most scientific papers, giving it a certain "flair" that few other papers can muster, and DeVita explains the controversy early on, quote:

"This paper is on purpose provocative, in order to trigger off discussion on the future of human society. The paper presents a scenario for dealing with the threat of system collapse, the literary device of the dictator." 


Further into the paper he goes into the idea of human agency, something I have gone into great lengths to explain why we lack agency. He adds why the idea of "coming together" is another fable commonly employed as a means to continue our current set of living arrnagements and explains it based upon the underlying principle of energy costs and complexity, something I brought up in my article about humanity experiencing radical transformation. 

He tackles many of the same topics I have brought up in various articles myself and utilizes the concept of being a dictator to demonstrate how ridiculous these various ideas really are, and his conclusions are not much different than mine. In his conclusion, he also provides the same essence of the "Live Now" ethos in these words, quote: 

"If the dawn finds you alive, thrill at the privilege, and make no assumptions about sunset. 

I congratulate the old and sick and trembling for expecting a rapid death early in the process, and console those who have the strength of character to live on. I give you my blessing: be more decent than you might to each other, and be as happy as you can. Humankind lives on in you."

While I have contributed my thoughts in many pages of articles and files in this blog, Laurenc has done it in one study only 27 pages long!


Live Now!



Comments

  1. AnonymousApril 28, 2022 at 5:55 AM

    Thanks for the link. Laurenc’s ‘study’ is a good encapsulation of everything that must be done…and can’t be,

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Steven Earl SalmonyApril 29, 2022 at 10:50 AM

      Excellent effort, Laurenc.

      Delete

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