The agenda revisited

Saturday, June 19, 2010

All truth passes through three stages. First, it is ridiculed. Second, it is violently opposed. Third, it is accepted as being self-evident. (Arthur Schopenhauer, one of my philosophical heroes) ______________________ Based on recent comments in this space, and also in my email in-box, I am compelled to provide an updated overview of my proposed agenda [...]

Balance is for Buddhists

Tuesday, September 22, 2009

12 Comments

Balance is a central tenet of Buddhism, foundational to the four noble truths and the eight-fold way. Balance is a superb notion and I strongly support, for individuals at least, balance, moderation, and many other principles of Buddhism. Indeed, had Buddhism found roots in this country a couple hundred years ago, we probably would have avoided, or at least delayed, the series of catastrophes we now face. But with fewer than one percent of the American population dedicated to Buddhism, it's a little late for balance and moderation to work their magic at the scale of this country, much less planet Earth.

Reason: four classics

Monday, September 29, 2008

16 Comments

Mysticism has proven an insufficient foundation for conserving nature. Ultimately, I suspect it will prove inadequate for saving humanity as well. Although we could blame the lying clowns who represent us, the politicians merely reflect the populace, and therefore contemporary zeitgeist. Like it or not, the politicians we elect are six flights below the lowest common denominator in large part because we cannot reason our way up the stairs.

On being a doomer

Thursday, September 4, 2008

23 Comments

I admit I'm a doomer. But I don't think that's a bad thing. To be a doomer is to recognize the tragedy of the human experience.

Christmas, Christianity, and the fall of empire: A year-end reflection

Tuesday, December 25, 2007

5 Comments

Reason is the basis for understanding the material world. Mysticism has proven an insufficient foundation for dealing with peak oil and runaway greenhouse. As such, I suspect it will prove inadequate for saving humanity. Whether or not we're worth saving is a separate issue.

Hard times, good stories, and rich lives

Tuesday, October 23, 2007

3 Comments

There's damn little high fructose corn syrup in your future, and quite a few hard times.

The end of civilization and the extinction of humanity

Wednesday, August 29, 2007

20 Comments

We have, to the maximum possible extent allowed by our intellect and never-ending desire, consumed the planet and therefore traded in tomorrow for today. And we keep making these choices, every day, choosing dams over salmon, oil over whales, cars over polar bears, death over life.

Philosophy and Conservation Biology

Sunday, August 26, 2007

4 Comments

It is not at all clear that humanity can be saved (or, for that matter, is worth saving). Evolution drives us to breed, drives to procreate, and drives us to accumulate resources. Evolution always pushes us toward the brink, and culture piles on, hurling us into the abyss. Nietzsche was correct about our lack of free will -- as Gray points out in Straw Dogs -- free will is an illusion. It's not merely the foam on the beer: it's the last bubble of foam, the one that just popped. It's no surprise, then, that we are sleepwalking into the future, or that the future is a lethal cliff.

Guy McPherson's blog

Tag Archive | "Schopenhauer"