Poul Anderson, The Stars Are Also Fire, 7, p. 93.
There is a lowered demand for raw materials because:
population has declined;
there is efficient recycling;
goods are made to last;
there are few or no design changes;
dynamism has gone.
The first four reasons seem good to me. We do not need an ever-increasing population, waste, built-in obsolescence or new models of cars. But why should dynamism decline? Creativity should be liberated when mankind is freed from want. Anderson suggests elsewhere that what makes a difference is:
"...people: their institutions, attitudes, ways of going about things. What else could it be?"
-Poul Anderson, "The Discovery of the Past" IN Anderson, Past Times (New York, 1984), pp. 182-206 AT p. 195.
What else? We need to regard new technology as a challenge, not as a threat to dynamism. Through blogging, I not only share appreciation of Poul Anderson but also - appreciate Anderson more!
1 comment:
Kaor, Paul!
A declining population also means there will be less DEMAND or need for dynamism. The way to handle population increase is not stagnation but opening up new outlets and frontiers.
Sean
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