I frequently argue against unrestricted technological growth. In one recent argument, I was asked: would you have opposed the industrial revolution? Surely, you wouldn’t oppose the reduction in infant mortality!
Frankly, this is one of the stupidest replies I have ever received. Perhaps I should have asked: is it better to reduce infant mortality so that more children live in a world where half the biosphere is being destroyed, millions die every year from industrial pollution, and climate disaster is threatening daily survival?
Yes, if I were born back then and had the insights that I have now, I absolutely would have opposed the industrial revolution, no question! Yes, we’ve reduced infant mortality, but we’ve exchanged our mortality for the increased mortality of other living beings, and I find that unacceptable. In no circumstance is it ethical to increase our standard of living if it means committing mass genocide against thousands of living, breathing, and feeling life forms. We had no right and we still have no right.
Carolina Parakeet, Guadalupe Caracara, Tasmanian Tiger. These are just three of the thousands of species we have eradicated through wanton genocide of their populations, and this genocide is ongoing: plenty of living populations of beings are on the brink of being extinguished by us.
Even now, we are proceeding down the path of business of usual, of predictable and yearly increases in population, atmospheric CO2, and deforestation. Yes, we are doing things to ameliorate the problems like ecological treaties and green energy. And? We’re throwing each other little bones to convince each other that “something is being done”.
But if there’s one thing we’re keeping the same, it’s our attitude of human supremacy, demonstrated amply by our proceeding with the same broken economic system founded on the Ponzi-scheme philosophy of endless growth and prosperity for an unsustainable way of living for more than eight billion.
We’ve got abominations and mindless pursuits of our modern era: artificial intelligence, virtual reality, single-used plastics. And, millions driving every day to meaningless corporations to make the world worse, simply because they have no other obvious choice.
Meanwhile, in poorer countries, forests are cleared and species eradicated so we can make the whole world into this disgusting and pathological image. Endgame: we’re all just bags of blood consuming media in concrete cages, sharpening our intellect for pure amusement without any regard for life. Sociopathy incarnate.
Isn’t it ironic that after millions of years of evolution, our beautiful unique brain has evolved, and after a blink of an eye in geological timescales, one of the first things we can contemplate is the apotheosis of pure ugliness embodied in our parasitic domination? The earth gave us life, and now we repay it with death.
But even though industrial society is entrenched, we can still oppose it. We can still oppose consumerism. I applaud the efforts of those that try and make the world truly better with their opposition. And no, making the world doesn’t include helping make the next iPhone. And yes, I’ve done plenty in jobs that has made the world worse, too. Almost all of us have, because it is the only option we’re given. Let’s get over it and change something.
What we need to realize is that we all grew up in a society that promotes human supremacy and environmental destruction of living beings, and that we need to increase our efforts to change that. It’s not just a matter of technological solutions to climate change: we have to change our attitudes as well and ascend to a more peaceful state of existence with the biosphere.
Either our consumerist, capitalistic philosophy has to die or the earth will. And let’s not kid ourselves: if we proceed business as usual, then one day, technology won’t save us, and humanity will expire too. I guess the problem is pretty big. On most days it seems intractable, but on some I hope that maybe this is a painful teenage phase that was necessary for humanity, and one day we will grow up.