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The Dream of Peak Oil
From a blog called Peak Energy. Link found courtesy of Jason Godesky. This piece talks about how within the concept of Peak Oil, everyone who looks, sees what they want on some level:
Kunstler has a deep seating loathing of suburban sprawl and modernity in general it would seem, so he sees peak oil as resulting in a semi-collapse that returns us to a future that resembles small town america of 150 years ago (plus wasted large cities and pirates ravaging the coasts of course).
He isn’t alone in seeing what he wants to see of course - the Viridian camp sees a shiny green future awaiting us in the post oil world, old school oil guys like T Boone Pickens see a exploration and drilling bonanza, energy industry investors like Matt Simmons and Henry Groppe see soaring energy prices, gold bugs see rampart inflation and soaring gold prices, ferals and hippies see a return to living closer to nature, socialists see the revivial of marxism, conspiracy theorists see government/elite conspiracies and the rise of the new world order, primitivists see the collapse of industrial civilisation and human dieoff, libertarians see an opportunity for the market to bring new energy sources and technoloies to us, fascists see an opportunity for a return to authoritarianism and some of the uglier approaches to population control used by their ilk in the past, economists see suuply and demand issues being resolved by energy prices, military-industrial complex members see the need to militarily dominate the energy rich regions of the planet, end-times Christian fundamentalists see another symptom of the impending rapture and survivalists see an opportunity to say “I told you so” and finally get to use the skills and tools they’ve spent their lives practicing for.
It is, I think, an inevitable part of the human condition, that when we look around all we see is ourselves mirrored back in everything.
See also my piece on the Psychological Function of the Apocalypse or the newer revised version of the same thing, “‘You’re All Gonna Die’: Prophecy and Protest” for more. (PS. That prophecy and protest essay was one of the things that ensured I didn’t get a book deal last year when a literary agent was approaching me. So you know it’s gotta be good!)
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September 16th, 2006 at 10:34 am
When I was younger, I imagined that everyone with a worldview I didn’t agree with would suddenly “realize they were wrong” upon death. They would “see the Light”, I thought, and realize how “wrong” and “misguided” their views were. I thought I had it all figured out…
And now recently, I think my viewpoint on the matter has shifted poles entirely. Upon death and “seeing the Light,” perhaps everyone will see/experience exactly what they want or expect to experience. Fundamentalist Christians may meet Jesus, suicide bombers might get their 72 virgins, Pagans may rejoin with the earth mother spirit, and atheists may find their bliss in nothingness. Who am I to say otherwise?
September 16th, 2006 at 11:57 am
just realise that the world is a mirror and get with what you need most. do you need love? then see what you see in the mirror and work toward loving what you see. what you put out comes back. transmit/recieve.
September 16th, 2006 at 5:43 pm
Absolutely - it the world is a mirror and you will see back what you expect.
But that doesn’t mean that the oppossing viewpoints are wrong. With the example of Peak Oil as described above, you can look at that and see suburban collapse, AND a ‘green’ post-oil world, AND an exploration and drilling bonanza, AND soaring energy prices, AND inflation, AND a life closer to nature, AND an increase in Marxism and Fascism, AND a dieoff, AND supply-and-demand economics kicking in. I’m not a great fan of the ‘Either/Or’ concept (outside of programming). It’s never Either/Or, it’s always Both and More.
Apart from the bit about the Rapture, or course, thats blatantly nuts
September 17th, 2006 at 5:50 pm
Kunstler fancies himself living in a post collapse society with a little small town newspaper, where he can make some money after things fall apart. He will tell people about all the wise things he is thinking.
Kunstler is not a creative thinker at all.
He does not have any real suggestions to avoid his prediction, and seems to glory in how terrible the whole thing is going to be.
Sadly some elements of his prediction could come true. That would tragic, but because of our current Price System, and its method of operation, that being dependent on a class system , major trouble looms.
People like Kunstler have seized on the Peak oil concept because it will change our world.
M.King Hubbert , the oil geologist and technocracy advocate is much more famous for the Hubbert Curve , just one of his many contributions to science, than he is for being mostly the author of the 1934 Technocracy Study Course.
Someone I know tried to tell Kunstler about the technocracy movement and some of our ideas to avoid this big future problem. He did not seem to understand it.
I would like to suggest a website to give a bigger picture of this problem of technology and our Price System. That would be www.communistrobot.com It is run by a young techhead. It is state of the art commentary on technology and culture. He is not a communist. He is a technocrat, and warns of the real reality of the future if we do not change out of the current system. He is warning about a type of future Communism. Any way check out Communistrobot.com run by Richard Anders, a really brilliant young person.
September 17th, 2006 at 6:08 pm
Absolutely! That’s a really important point to make. Thanks!
September 17th, 2006 at 6:13 pm
Well, did he not understand it or not agree with it?
On what are you basing such a statement? I’ve never read the man’s work myself, so I have no criteria to judge. Who would you define as a “creative thinker”?
September 17th, 2006 at 6:51 pm
I would define someone like Einstein as a creative thinker.
Many people are unaware that he commented on cultural issues also.
The reason I suggested that communistrobot site is because that is the type I would consider a creative thinker, Richard Anders the author there.
To me he seems very brilliant because he has a creative response to the coming problem of cultural collapse and Mr. Kunstler does not.
James Kunstler has made a pretty fair amount of money selling books. People respond to fear in the status quo of thinking in the box by picking up a book by him.
Another person that has done that also is Thomas Friedman of Flat earth fame. He is another person that I would consider a backward character with only recycled and poorly recycled concepts at best.
Why should we compete with the rest of the world.? We don`t need to. Why not just create a good society here, and perhaps we can help others in the future , when we have a little more credibility.?
Another person that I would consider a creative idea person is Gore Vidal. Of all the professional smart people out there , he may be one of the smartest. Compare him with Chomsky or James Kunstler.? They don`t come close.
September 18th, 2006 at 11:24 am
I wrote an article some time ago called, “The Eschatology of the Left,” where I readily admitted to the mythological framework of primitivism, concluding:
September 18th, 2006 at 1:19 pm
Mmm . Are you saying the chicken or the egg.? If belief is non factor in trying to get at a point , then it may be gotten at.
Belief in a theory or dogma or political idea dead ends creativity.
Science is only a tool like prayer, and art are to try and bring meaning .
Are they all a begging hand.?
Yes. Our ego`s need to reach out to life, and look for meaning. Bottom line all human culture is make believe. There is better and worse make believe. With what we know now , is it possible to create a decent human society.? Yes, I think so. That is my value judgement.