Of Itself So - Links

Carlo M. Cipolla defines five basic laws of idiocy in this paper. Want to know why people engage in counter productive actions? This paper offers some insights. It could be that Cipolla's laws are as fundamental to human interactions as the laws of thermodynamics are to the physical world. Note: Prof Cipolla has recently died and his estate is busy serving takedown notices on the websites that host the paper - the irony of that action appears to be lost on them. Consequently the paper is getting a bit hard to find. The links below worked when I wrote this post - a search on "cipolla the basic laws of human stupidity" might turn it up if these links go bad.

The Basic Laws of Human Stupidity
The Basic Laws of Human Stupidity

This paper written by Donella Meadows is a truely insightful work which describes how to make changes to complex adaptive systems such as economies and ecosystems. If you have been wondering why the recent govermental intervention in the financial markets is getting ever greater with continually diminishing returns, then this paper is a must read. The paper is well written, jargon free and is intended for a non-technical audience.

Leverage_Points.pdf

Dmitry Orlov, a native of the Russia, lived through the collapse of the Soviet Union as a young adult. In this extremely well written post he shares why he feels the USSR was actually much better prepared for troubled times than is the USA (and by association most western economies). A keen observer of human behavior and social interactions, Dmitry lays it all out using clear well justified reasoning. If you feel (as I do) that hard times are a-comin' then this page is a real eye opener.

Closing the Collapse Gap

According to Einstein you cannot solve a problem by the same sort of thinking that generated the problem in the first place. John Michael Greer takes this theme and, in this thoughtful article, demonstrates that this is exactly what we are doing in regards to the ever declining rate of global crude oil extraction. Our current approach to the problem of peak oil, according to Greer, is simply to find new sources of energy to preserve the status quo - anything else is unthinkable. Well Greer thinks for himself and the analogies he uses make a pretty lucid and persuasive case. This, to my mind, is some of Greers best work, and the insights it provides are well worth the read and further contemplation.

Faustus and the Monkey Trap

Recent events have set many people to wondering if our society is following an Orwellian path. In other words, a hyper-strict society with continual surveilance, extensive government propaganda and mind control. Well such a society may well be happening, but perhaps not in the way you think. Stuart McMillen has taken the thoughts of Neil Postman in his book Amusing Ourselves to Death: Public Discourse in the Age of Show Business and created a strikingly effective 12 panel graphic comic strip which makes the case that it is not George Orwells vision we should worry about but Aldous Huxleys. Scary stuff and it's message really does ring true.

Amusing Ourselves to Death

First person shooter and light infantry video games are practically ubiquitous amongst the young - particularly young men. Lt. Col. Dave Grossman, a former member of the US Army's Ranger battalion believes that these games are the equivalent of Shoot-To-Kill training simulators. Grossman makes the case that violent video games effectively incorporate all of the standard techniques used by the military to increase the willingness of their recruits to kill the enemy without inhibition. Desensitization, classical conditioning, operant conditioning - Grossman has extensive knowledge of the psychological tools and illustrates in this well written and widely reprinted article how video games use them all.

Trained to Kill