Kitchen Garden Forum

A book review in Mail On Sunday 20th March 2011 caught my eye and can go some way to explaining why our current energy debate has become so entrenched behind the Wind Power solution.
Take a look at this link What the Mayans can teach us about wind turbines. and I lift a quote below.

"Simply put, human beings are a 'work in progress'. So, at any point in time there is a biological limit to the levels of complexity we can discern and manage. When we reach that limit, progress comes to a standstill.
In other words, we can only progress as far and as fast as evolution has equipped us to. The uneven match between human evolution, which is slow, and the rapid rate at which societies advance, eventually causes every civilisation to reach an impasse.
My book The Watchman's Rattle, named after an 18th Century wooden device to warn of an impending emergency, describes what occurs as we approach the limits of the cognitive abilities.
The first sign is gridlock. Leaders and governments become unable to solve chaotic problems. The unsolved problems then migrate from one generat ion to another, growing in magnitude and peril until, according to Dr Joseph Tainter in his book, The Collapse Of Complex Societies, the problem is upon us and no resources or number of smart people can stop the avalanche.
The second symptom occurs as we begin to substitute facts with unproven beliefs. When the facts surrounding a problem become too complex to discern, we make decisions based on what we believe to be true. Like a swimmer trapped in an undertow, we believe that if we simply step up our efforts and swim harder toward the shore, we will prevail against the current. No data, information, or facts will deter us from our conviction - not even the threat of death."

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/ ... z1HEl8kQTf

Peter

A very interesting post indeed.

How very different from our own world! Or maybe not different at all when you look at history.

The Wikipedia article on Maya Civilisation has this interesting section:

Non-ecological theories of Maya decline are divided into several subcategories, such as overpopulation, foreign invasion, peasant revolt, and the collapse of key trade routes. Ecological hypotheses include environmental disaster, epidemic disease, and climate change. There is evidence that the Maya population exceeded carrying capacity of the environment including exhaustion of agricultural potential and overhunting of megafauna.

The power of belief to deny science seems all around us today; a few examples:

American fundamentalists need not worry about global warming since the bible says nothing bad will ever happen to creation. LINK

We need not worry about population increase as there is enough food produced now to feed everyone - all we have to do is share it out.
LINK

The world can be fed by adopting organic/sustainable agriculture globally without damaging the environment.

Things are looking up http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-12811197

"Simply put, human beings are a 'work in progress'. So, at any point in time there is a biological limit to the levels of complexity we can discern and manage. When we reach that limit, progress comes to a standstill.
In other words, we can only progress as far and as fast as evolution has equipped us to. The uneven match between human evolution, which is slow, and the rapid rate at which societies advance, eventually causes every civilisation to reach an impasse."

Claptrap Alert ! What garbage people will spout to sell books. Then again, what do you expect if you look for science in the Daily Mail.

The rate of human evolution (assuming we have not yet brought it to a standstill by using modern medcine to prevent natural selection) is so slow that it is pretty negligible over the course of recorded human history. The ancients were a bright as we are, they just lacked some of our knowledge.

Hi Tony,
Do you think that this might be a fair assumption?
The Mayans put their theories into practice but lacked the scientific knowledge of how and why these practises worked.
They were a very inventive race but in their earlier times they were slashers and burners. One assumes that as the population grew they realized that something more sustainable would have to be found for them to exist.
Does this sound familiar to you?
My thoughts are that it doesn't matter how much food there is in the world or under which method it is produced if those that are starving do not have the income to buy the food then they will remain starving!
Whilst we have corrupt politicians and government employees in the countries where the starvation exists there is very little any of us in the
Western World can do.
India seem to ignore the poor and want them to go away and in Africa we have been pouring aid in for years which has only made the corrupt officials richer with every grant made with the money never reaching the intended target.
Sincerely,
JB.