Re: Existential risks

On Apr 27, 6:06 pm, Wolf Kirchmeir <wolf...@xxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
J.A. Legris wrote:
On Apr 27, 8:24 am, Wolf Kirchmeir <wolf...@xxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
Curt Welch wrote:

[...]> At worse, what will happen is that the current flow of energy and cheap
pre-made materials will slow as all the "free" stuff is used up, and we
have to use energy to recycle materials into the forms we need.  The net
result is that we will find more ways to make things last longer and throw
less stuff away since the material to make new things will cost so much
more than it does now.
[...]

Good thing you put "free" in quotes. The only cost of doing or making
anything is energy. But the economic theories underlying our accounting
systems equate cost with price. "Externals" are priced at $0. Thus the
real costs of out goods and services are hidden from us. Actually, a
good deal of that unaccounted cost does show up, in the costs of
healthcare, accelerated rusting, "restoration" of wilderness areas, etc
etc etc.

Our economic theories are insane. What's worse is that the left and
right believe the same nonsense they are different sects of the same
religion.

--
wolf k.

Insane? Compared to what? AFAICT, our economic policies are based on
insufficient ability to predict the future - or at least a lack of
confidence in out ability to do so. We might be OK if we could run
through the process a few times until we get it right  :-[

--
Joe

Our economic policies are based on three superstitions:
a) that indefinite economic expansion is possible and desirable;
b) that money measures wealth;
c) that the market operates on accurate information.

The above are all demonstrably false.

Those are not superstitions and they are not demonstably false.

a) it surely is the case that indefinite economic expansion is both
possible (as Universe is eternally regenerative - there are only
stupidities of politicians and nation-startes, not shortages of
material), for that is how an indefinitely expanding population will
come to weatlh, health and so forth, and desireable; for if we put
some limit on market activities and expansion - artificial and
arbitrary it would be - then there would be a whole lot of
undesireable intereffects; e.g., price controls never work and drive
systems far from equilibrium.

b) Wealth in the traditional monetary sense is measured, nominally, in
monetary measures like money; e.g., real-estate, food stores, gold and
good will are all measured in terms of value/money. Of course one
could be "wealthy" in terms of intelligence or knowledge or health,
but I sense you are talkin about economic matters here.

c) Given that the market operates on information, the term accurate is
relative of course, and aws such the notion is not false. To the
degree needed, markets respond almost immediatley to information in
general; and because of the ability to verify whether information is
true or false almost immediately (via electronic means, wire services,
on-the-spot reporting and so forth), it is certainly not a
superstition that relatively accurate information is used by the
markets to settle accounts.



--
wolf k.- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

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