Most of the popular alternative economy proposals I read about, hold out hope we can return to simple living as the source of security it once was. But how would we actually reduce the complexity of society and return to self-reliance, while somehow keeping our modern culture and character? Can we really go ahead to … Continue reading But, can a whole economy be “Small is Beautiful”?
from my Finance Lab blog posts Nov 2013 note: Since this popular post was written I’ve kept pushing my search for better explanations. It’s basically a very simple universal principle for how growth leads to stability. Every successful ‘project’ in nature, of any kind or scale, starts with using its resources to build more access to … Continue reading Economies that can become part of nature
List of short articles on main website: Concept and Comment. Here are some recent additions – Happy Thanksgiving 2009 Peak Zucchini – 11/20/09 The story of overabundance and when to give it away for our Thanksgiving… What in the world is really going on here? – 11/15/09 How our work ethic accidently pushes us up an ever … Continue reading Recent additions to Concept and Comment list
Brad mentioned Catton’s theory of response to overpopulation as “We must learn to live in harmony with natural systems…”, which is true enough. In the details he talks about human values and not about how nature physically works, though. It’s a major “red flag” to talk about solving physical system problems in terms of human system values. … Continue reading Red Flag in our Usual Theories
On a 5/14 Global Foresight thread Wolfgang Spendel had said: Phil, I call it Capitalism Plus. The old rules don’t work anymore. Many of multiple persuasions are in denial about the lack of utlility for business as usual. Given the load on the planet and the desire for many to improve their standard of living … Continue reading Capitalism Plus Plus?
On the LCA list Simon asked: Are there any tangible examples of where something meaningful was created (not necessarily materially produced) by humans undertaking a “whole systems accounting” approach? I had offered the obscure example of one of my proud little examples, a whole system account of money exchange in a 1985 paper for SGSR … Continue reading Examples of “whole systems accounting”
Comment on Dot Earth2/14/09 regarding Darwin, “On the origin and fate of species“ — One of the more curious omissions in the neo-Darwinian interpretation of evolution, still, is to account for learning. Every kind of ‘foraging’ and ‘risk avoidance’ behavior is clear evidence of an individual complex system engaged in learning essential to its wellbeing. … Continue reading Survival and creative learning, that Darwin left out
CCGroup post 2/12/09 responding to Alex: Phil, I liked your coded message. You mean a threshold like ‘peak oil’? Or the peak carrying capacity of the earth in terms of population? The question is, how do you propose to reduce demand? Right now, governments are doing their damnedest to stimulate demand to save the global … Continue reading Getting peeks at the the coming peaks
Steve Salmony’s 1/12/09 Post Embrace change My reply: Why the rules changed, below Embrace change for planet’s sake – Steve Salmony In calling for change in our time, scientists are speaking about what could somehow be true, speaking out loudly and clearly to wealthy and powerful people who adamantly insist that the “business as usual” … Continue reading Why “new rules” apply? – Nature changed them
re: WNYC’s “Tell Me More” 9/22/08 Michel, I don’t think you, or anyone else, is getting a good picture of what happened, why, or what effect it will have. I’m not a mystic with secret answers, but a systems scientist who has been studying this kind of collapse in natural systems for 30 years. It’s … Continue reading What the collapse really means