Helmut Lubbers – Ecoglobe.com – circulated a description of the ITCSDclimate.orggrowth promotion efforts that are helping prevent the world’s critical response to climate change.
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Helmut,
I think the problem is better defined as a disease of believing our own myths, several separate ones at once. How our minds do that is less important than realizing that every mind seems capable of it, and a regular way to go back and forth between observation and belief is needed. Otherwise we can’t make sure our own myths are resting on something solid. Continue reading Climate and The “powers that be”→
Profit comes from new organization,
creating new forms of energy use.
It’s the organization of the whole that results in new and greater value from the parts of a system.
Investors like that, because putting money (energy use credits) in, to help get organized helps create more profits in terms of producing surplus energy credits. Continue reading Where does profit come from?→
He says: There is no mystery as to the root cause of poverty. Both the Private State and the Welfare State are robbing us. And giving it all away to landowners and banks.
Robin,
I’d be interested in what else you’ve done. I think the valid point you’re making is that there is indeed a long term systemic trend of more and more future income being paid to people who saved past income. I’ve made what I think are definitive models of why that arises, and what to do about it since the early 80’s. Continue reading What exactly is the wealth divide II→
My 2010 research paper for Cosmos & History is just published. It describes how scientists can guide their models of natural systems to change along with the evolutionary changes in the systems being modeled, “Models Learning Change” (PDF).
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The classic case of systems that people in them will need to change their models for, is that of growth economies. Their growth is a process of rapidly evolving organizational development, with many natural limits as an environmental system.
Ways to anticipate when the ‘=’ signs of a model should be again considered as ‘?’ marks are discussed. A change the model is called for, for example, at the point when a growth economy’s environment becomes increasingly unresponsive to increasing investment.Continue reading Models Learning Change – published by Cosmos & History→
On Nov 12, 9:08 am, Joan Sutherland wrote: > Please propose Phil, how you – if you were in power -would legislate changes > to your nation’s economy and environnmental policies to create the changes * > you* want to see, without creating a dictatorship. > joan
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Joan,
Well… OK, but if I were in power and could write my own legislation without anyone understanding quite why… wouldn’t I then BE a dictator?
I think the question has to be, how would a new way of thinking about the problem become of enough interest to people for them to see the importance of understanding how to make it work, a kind of different question. Continue reading What if I were in power, what would I change?→
Re: Annie Leonard’s brilliant work in the “The Story of Stuff“, and the hiding places where nature puts some of the missing stuff.
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Annie, Hi, great work, I’ve always admired it. I’m a natural systems scientist, and… there’s a whole LOT of “missing stuff”. Closely studying the mystery of how nature organizes things into “whole systems” has a secret power, that any one part can lead you to… layer upon layer of the missing stuff. We should have a lot to talk about, but catching your attention is a difficulty these days.
Unseen universes abound, at all scales and energies, lives known only by feint traces, the true reality beyond our words
Most people assume that once they’ve found one answer to a question, that’s it, and there’s nothing else to look for. But oh no, that’s usually the beginning not the end. Like, people see 1 thing wrong with money and think fixing that fixes every thing that is wrong with money. Nope, you have to look at things from ALL sides to find ALL the gaping holes. Just patching up the first thing that comes into sight isn’t enough. After a stumble you may tie your scarf and in a hurry “look smart”, but not notice you’ve been sitting in mud! Continue reading The story of the Missing Stuff→
> And I would add to Joan’s request: people respond to resource
> depletion by advocating frugalizing responses in part because
> it makes sense of a personal level, and because they don’t
> know what else to do.
>
> So given Jevons Paradox, what does a person or a small
> community do instead? Escalate their use instead? Some have
> suggested that, sort of tongue in cheek, but sort of seriously…
> but it is ethically repugnant at the same time, nah?
Vera,
Well, it’s truly a conundrum, especially given the odd consumption logic of the greens that says what you buy matters more than how much you spend. The “reality math” tells more or less the exact opposite story. Continue reading How DO we reduce our economic footprint?→
The more general message I keep telling people, though, is to become explorers of the real world that will be grading our exams… That likens our circumstance to not having paid attention in class, and finding a couple hundred years of back homework suddenly coming due.
Marketplace Radio said it best today, discussing why everyone is having such a hard time explaining why the economy is unresponsive to stimulus. My comment:
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It was gratifying to hear you discuss our so very stubborn economic dilemma with your question for your guest, “You mean we still don’t know what we don’t know?” And getting the simple answer “Yes.”
I’ve known generally how and why the present dilemma would arise for over 30 years. I’ve had a hard time telling you, though. As many times as I try, you (and others) don’t respond with questions. I hope the following helps. Continue reading The failing recovery: natural diminishing returns→
This one sounded good enough to Mike McCabe of the Wisconsin Democracy Campaigninvestigating the waves of secret corporate cash going into politics this year, to rate it: “Thanks for the note. Good points. Very well said.”
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Thanks for your work,
Somehow limitless deceptive speech by corporations,… especially in secret,…. especially if misleading about their own shareholders and the public’s interests, isn’t right.
What about the literal meaning of “fiduciary”? Has anyone read the words lately?
Corporations are public trust with a fiduciary duty to act in the interests of others, their public stock holders and the their licensing agency. Perhaps some people think of that as meaning “money, money, money, money”, but the words don’t say that! The words say: Continue reading An idea for Corporate Speech! – recognize fiduciary duty→
New systems science, how to care for natural uncontrolled systems in context
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