Skeptic Project

Here is a new article for my Thrive Debunked blog. Yes, this project is slowing down; there's not much more to debunk on the film, and I envisioned this as perhaps one of the last articles.

http://thrivedebunked.wordpress.com/2012/06/06/paranoid-utopia-the-nightmare-world-that-thrive-would-give-us/

I had this idea a long time ago: a vision of a future world where conspiracy believers, especially those who believe in far-right-wing libertarian ideology (as the Thrive people do), have come to power and remade the world in their image. It's science fiction to some extent, and obviously a "worst case scenario," so take it for what it's worth.

I also included a section on what life would really be like in a Zeitgeist/RBE "test city." If I get a chance I might break out that part of the article as a separate post in this topic, in case you don't want to wade through all the Thrive and libertarian stuff to get there.

Enjoy.

So if the Thrive ideal is a "worst case scenario", then what is the scenario if we keep going as we're doing right now? Self-destruction seems like a case that cannot get much worse?

Well, thriving in abundance and peace (although utopian) does not seem like a too bad case comparing it to the situation the world is in right now.

Self-destructive in the sense that our current economic system, based on debt and interest, will eventually self-destruct. Due to the constant need for growth (or expected growth), only unsustainable ways of producing are feasible (can't grow your company by producing a television that will last a lifetime). Without growth (economic for countries or profit for corporations), the interest on loans will become unpayable, since nobody will loan you more money at the same interest rates. Thanks to the invention of 'corporation' (personal profit, without personal responsibility, with the ultimate goal of earning as much as you can for your stakeholders), good people, with no bad intentions at all, are still encouraged to make immoral decisions (e.g. off-shoring jobs, chosing more damaging, yet cheaper production facilities, keeping an eye shut to child- and semi-slave-labor etc.)

A system based on growth for the sake of growth is, in my opinion, doomed to eventually self-destruct. In fact, looking at the condition of our planet and the predictions for the next 50 years, this is kinda self-evident.

Quote from Joe

Damarauder
Let me let you in a little secrert as a student of History. It is a caotic mess that does not follow any preplaned plan.

Let me respond to that by saying I agree, but I think it's about time we clean up the mess.

Quote from CyborgJesus

I don't think anybody will vote pro-mess, the question becomes what vehicle to choose to create a just order. There really haven't been many serious attempts at solving the economic problems we'll face during the next century, so my position has been for several years to dedicate more money for (radical) economic research, which strangely enough is the route we take in every other field of study, except for this one, which is advanced almost exclusively by think tanks, only few of which actually care about public wellbeing.

I agree, very hard question. Especially because it is almost inevitable that there has to be an almost 180 degree turn to get out of the mess. I agree with you that there needs to be more research, with as the main pillars public wellbeing and morality.

Funny this makes me think of a rap song addressing Zeitgeist and Ron Paul, as presented by Robert Foster :) Have you seen it? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ELEwjVRxxGE

Quote from CyborgJesus

Even posted it here a while back, I think. They're doing a really great job, and I'm not just saying that because they turned Chomsky into their oracle.

Yea, that one was funny too :)

Quote from CyborgJesus

I don't think anybody will vote pro-mess, the question becomes what vehicle to choose to create a just order.

Not me! I'm pro-mess! I'm also pro-dumb regulation, pro-huge government, pro-old people dying in the streets, and pro-everything else people say they are against that nobody ever advocates.

I'm Jim Jesus and I approve the message.

(Paid for by the Pro-Drugs in School SuperPAC)