Posted: Jan 16, 2013 1:04 am
sky hiatt wrote:Wow, thanks to whoever said I did not imply a CONSPIRACY of contaminating N.A. with Old World diseases.
If you didn't mean that Old world civilization conspired to contaminated the New world then why did you imply it by saying that civilization took time and trouble to do it? You're simply back peddling now. You spouted something that I showed was clearly untrue and now you want to deny it. Why not just admit that you were wrong instead of playing the "That's not what I said/meant" game.
Yes, the globalization of pathogens is simply an absent-minded function of civilization.
Well thanks for admitting the obvious, but I take issue with "function of civilization". It would be more accurate to say that "globalization" of diseases are/were a consequence of different civilizations coming into contact.
(Of course, civilization first had to create the diseases, but that's another story) It reveals civilization's basic anti-human tendencies.
Tell me, how did civilization create the diseases?
It gives us some idea of where the civilized future is leading us. It's one part of the story. But basially, In ou r world today, no one is in charge, no one really knows what the furture will look like, the problems get bigger every day, and every time civilization takes a breath, it needs more air.
That's very poetic, but is it true? You try to personify civilization. Why? Maybe to portray it as an evil entity? You can't battle anything until you give it a face, a persona. Then you have to defeat it if you don't want to be defeated.
I'm sorry but civilization is a monster the you cannot defeat without bringing about your own downfall.
The down side of peak oil may/probably happen, but that will not be the end of civilization. It will change how we do things but it will not be the end civilization.
The down side to global warming is not pretty, but it will not be the end of civilization.
Drug resistant diseases may cause hell and havoc in certain populations, but it will not be the end of civilization.
If this sounds normal, it really isn't. But I don't know how to convince skeptics to understand why. Maybe those on the other side of this thinking should build a temporary cognitive framework in which all living things and all natural systems are validated and authenticated and you care about them. Maybe just conger the concept and let it sit in your brain for 5 or 10 seconds. It'll be hard. But try it just to see what happens.
Would you like ranch or Italian with your word salad?