This is the most incredible of your writing that I've had the mind blowing experience of reading so far. Everything I believe so clearly and distinctly iterated. Just incredible.
There are very few people that I have come across that have come to these conclusions. I love the way you have broken it down and put it on display. Thank you, George, for your courage for putting on display these very unpopular truths. This is such an important necessity in a culture that refuses to open its eyes.
What really causes the creation of government? Riches. When a community, a city, or a country becomes wealth producing, Voila! There is then an immediate need by the money whores to control how that wealth is distributed, or in many cases, appropriated. That takes government.
In our land of inequality, please explain to me how anyone but a cult member could vote for a bill that causes a greater disparity. It’s so ludicrous it generates pain.
Great piece as always though I don't think you mention enough of money's ugly sister: debt.
Money is magic-ed into existence by the creation of debt (loans) which is then further leveraged to a staggering scale. Reported global debt is $345 trillion but the reality could be as much as $600 trillion, whereas the value of money is only around $2.3 trillion (see recent article by Art Berman). "From a biophysical perspective, these are not just numbers. They are promises to deliver real goods and services in the future—energy, labor, materials. If those inputs don’t materialize, the promises won’t be kept. The system will adjust: through inflation, default, restructuring, or collapse."
The role of governments therefore is to keep the whole house of cards standing, whilst hoodwinking the general population into believing the system will go on forever.
What is your proposed alternative to the current system? You seem to criticize everything but you don’t present any realistic alternatives? In the comments it looks like you propose a single country solution?? Isn’t that just a highly concentrated government??
Yes you are right. I CRITICIZE EVERYTHING. This does not make me obliged or responsible for offering solutions. Hint: we are experiencing a civilisational collapse, so perhaps there is no solution, or perhaps that is the solution? 💀
Even better, maybe you should read blogs that give you lots of impossible fake solutions. There are plenty of these blogs on Substack. I think you’ll love them.
I just want to know more about your thoughts. I appreciate your work because most people lack a biological background and look at the world through a less accurate lens. Not sure why realism would prevent you from discussing alternatives to the current status quo.
I’m planning a Q&A soon so hold these thoughts. In the meantime you will find plenty of answers from a biology perspective in this interview. They are answers, not solutions, because sometimes that’s all there is. So you’ve been warned! Thanks. Link: https://pgap.fireside.fm/beyondthepetri
I listened to your podcast and I have a few questions about some of the premises you base your arguments on. One fundamental part of your chain of reasoning is the idea that humans are inherently selfish, and that evolution has optimized us to be “resource exploitation logistical devices” RELD, as you call it. While I’m not going to deny the evils of human nature, I struggle to believe this is as so unilaterally true. In my understanding of biology, most interactions between organisms are classed as mutualism - both parties benefit. You then extend this idea of selfishness to suggest that ethics are nothing but an evolutionary side effect and are not more than decorative. Even going so far as to suggest they are detrimental traits. I’m curious what your sources are for this information.
In my studies and understanding of human nature and the broader biological system we are all a part of we are unique social beings. Our ability to cooperate with each other across time and space is one of our defining characteristics. I can read Plato or call a friend in Greece etc. We interact with each other for mutual (or no) gain quite often. If everyone was such a selfish opportunist as you propose I’m not sure that we would have accomplished as much as we have as a species. I’ve certainly read studies that indicated that young children and newborns have an innate moral compass. Children also tend to be inherently ‘racist’ though too so it obviously depends on Us vs Them dynamics. But arguably, making that distinction between family good, stranger bad, indicates an innate moral compass still (even if not properly calibrated at a young age).
I found it interesting that even though you say humans are inherently corrupt and flawed, you are still skeptical of handing off responsibility to algorithmic/Ai based systems. If anything, your stance is an argument that we should hand off responsibility to systems that have a greater potential to manage long term consequences and minimize short term thinking. Not arguing that we should do this though.
I appreciate your responses and taking the time to read this!
Pessimism is just as much of a mind virus as “money”. Even if we are in the midst of a cyclical collapse due to our overconsumption of resources that doesn’t really negate an individual’s ability to adapt and survive. To work to help others instead of just complaining about how depressing it is that biological systems aren’t some imaginary perfect utopia?
I guess you’ve just called me a pessimist. I prefer realist. Again, if this is all you got out of this article, there’s some great Hopium blogs out there!
I view both of you as correct on multiple points. Part of qualitative reasoning is the ability to maintain opposing views.
I applaud SRI for his explorations and critiques.
And like myself, Tsakraklides is a social critic. In part because Homo sapiens is loaded with destructive irrationality. And in part because we are thoughtful, empathetic, and informed enough to see how deeply irrational our species is--more than most all wish to see.
Though people on Tsakraklides' posts being among a far more introspective hyper-minority of humanity.
Accurate analysis of the human condition can be perceived as pessimism. Accurate, insightful analysis challenges humanity's widespread willful ignorance, innumerable irrational biases, and common delusions. So we can dismiss such analyses as a character defect: pessimism.
And to turn your argument back on you SRI, optimism can easily be perceived as a major fuel for the incredibly destructive results of humanity's dominion over Earth: wars, extreme poverty, famines, ecocide, etc. Optimism as blindness.
Tsakraklides *does* offer multiple solutions:
Substantially more reproductive (overpopulation) restraint than humanity exhibits.
Socialism over capitalism.
Being more environmentally aware.
Being well informed, and introspective and questioning of society.
Warning of consequences to mitigate or avoid.
Offering viewpoint alternatives / improvement.
Creating a forum for others to offer involvement and additional insights and solutions.
And so forth.
I plan on becoming a paying subscriber to this blog soon.
Although I am skeptical of both capitalism and socialism as just different methods to achieve humanity's raison d'être, especially with 8.1 billion of us:
Thank you for replying on my behalf Billy. Yes, I do offer many solutions. I just don't blab them out. They come out of my writings because I want to focus peoples' attention on the problems first and arrive there by themselves, rather than force a solution on them. Each of us has to come to terms with collapse using their own world view and thought process. Thank you again for your response, and SRI, I hope this helps.
I’ve been asking that myself Karen. I think there is no answer. Local governments are much more efficient and potentially less corrupt, but competition between city states and war would inevitably result in the formation of countries. My only hope would be for the world to become a single country e.g. an expanded European Union of some sort
True, but that doesn’t necessarily ensure the building of hospitals, schools, roads, or provide public transport and infrastructure that crosses community boundaries. Richer communities often thrive at the expense of poorer communities which results in conflict and instability. It sounds egalitarian but the reality is often a more pronounced inequality than we experience today.
This is the most incredible of your writing that I've had the mind blowing experience of reading so far. Everything I believe so clearly and distinctly iterated. Just incredible.
Gosh thank you Karen! ❤️ it means a lot as it hasn’t been an easy essay to write so thanks 🙏
No, I can certainly imagine it was not easy at all.. Bloody marvellous 😊💜
There are very few people that I have come across that have come to these conclusions. I love the way you have broken it down and put it on display. Thank you, George, for your courage for putting on display these very unpopular truths. This is such an important necessity in a culture that refuses to open its eyes.
Thank you David ❤️🌿🙏
What really causes the creation of government? Riches. When a community, a city, or a country becomes wealth producing, Voila! There is then an immediate need by the money whores to control how that wealth is distributed, or in many cases, appropriated. That takes government.
Bravo. Exactly!
Greed w/o bounds.
The big beautiful bill, transfer of wealth to the greediness.
In our land of inequality, please explain to me how anyone but a cult member could vote for a bill that causes a greater disparity. It’s so ludicrous it generates pain.
It’s called Fascism Walt. Capitalism on steroids 😢
Great piece as always though I don't think you mention enough of money's ugly sister: debt.
Money is magic-ed into existence by the creation of debt (loans) which is then further leveraged to a staggering scale. Reported global debt is $345 trillion but the reality could be as much as $600 trillion, whereas the value of money is only around $2.3 trillion (see recent article by Art Berman). "From a biophysical perspective, these are not just numbers. They are promises to deliver real goods and services in the future—energy, labor, materials. If those inputs don’t materialize, the promises won’t be kept. The system will adjust: through inflation, default, restructuring, or collapse."
The role of governments therefore is to keep the whole house of cards standing, whilst hoodwinking the general population into believing the system will go on forever.
Nice piece of writing! I miss a door to what should be and it is not. Thank you George for your work!
Thank you!❤️🌿
An amazing piece of writing. Thank you 😊
Thank you very much Melissa!
For we wrestle not with flesh and blood but against principalities, against powers, against spiritual wickedness in high places….
I don’t read the Bible but this is SPOT ON ❤️✌🏽
https://biblehub.com/ephesians/6-12.htm
What is your proposed alternative to the current system? You seem to criticize everything but you don’t present any realistic alternatives? In the comments it looks like you propose a single country solution?? Isn’t that just a highly concentrated government??
Yes you are right. I CRITICIZE EVERYTHING. This does not make me obliged or responsible for offering solutions. Hint: we are experiencing a civilisational collapse, so perhaps there is no solution, or perhaps that is the solution? 💀
Even better, maybe you should read blogs that give you lots of impossible fake solutions. There are plenty of these blogs on Substack. I think you’ll love them.
I just want to know more about your thoughts. I appreciate your work because most people lack a biological background and look at the world through a less accurate lens. Not sure why realism would prevent you from discussing alternatives to the current status quo.
I’m planning a Q&A soon so hold these thoughts. In the meantime you will find plenty of answers from a biology perspective in this interview. They are answers, not solutions, because sometimes that’s all there is. So you’ve been warned! Thanks. Link: https://pgap.fireside.fm/beyondthepetri
Dear George,
I listened to your podcast and I have a few questions about some of the premises you base your arguments on. One fundamental part of your chain of reasoning is the idea that humans are inherently selfish, and that evolution has optimized us to be “resource exploitation logistical devices” RELD, as you call it. While I’m not going to deny the evils of human nature, I struggle to believe this is as so unilaterally true. In my understanding of biology, most interactions between organisms are classed as mutualism - both parties benefit. You then extend this idea of selfishness to suggest that ethics are nothing but an evolutionary side effect and are not more than decorative. Even going so far as to suggest they are detrimental traits. I’m curious what your sources are for this information.
In my studies and understanding of human nature and the broader biological system we are all a part of we are unique social beings. Our ability to cooperate with each other across time and space is one of our defining characteristics. I can read Plato or call a friend in Greece etc. We interact with each other for mutual (or no) gain quite often. If everyone was such a selfish opportunist as you propose I’m not sure that we would have accomplished as much as we have as a species. I’ve certainly read studies that indicated that young children and newborns have an innate moral compass. Children also tend to be inherently ‘racist’ though too so it obviously depends on Us vs Them dynamics. But arguably, making that distinction between family good, stranger bad, indicates an innate moral compass still (even if not properly calibrated at a young age).
I found it interesting that even though you say humans are inherently corrupt and flawed, you are still skeptical of handing off responsibility to algorithmic/Ai based systems. If anything, your stance is an argument that we should hand off responsibility to systems that have a greater potential to manage long term consequences and minimize short term thinking. Not arguing that we should do this though.
I appreciate your responses and taking the time to read this!
Thanks!
Pessimism is just as much of a mind virus as “money”. Even if we are in the midst of a cyclical collapse due to our overconsumption of resources that doesn’t really negate an individual’s ability to adapt and survive. To work to help others instead of just complaining about how depressing it is that biological systems aren’t some imaginary perfect utopia?
I guess you’ve just called me a pessimist. I prefer realist. Again, if this is all you got out of this article, there’s some great Hopium blogs out there!
I view both of you as correct on multiple points. Part of qualitative reasoning is the ability to maintain opposing views.
I applaud SRI for his explorations and critiques.
And like myself, Tsakraklides is a social critic. In part because Homo sapiens is loaded with destructive irrationality. And in part because we are thoughtful, empathetic, and informed enough to see how deeply irrational our species is--more than most all wish to see.
Though people on Tsakraklides' posts being among a far more introspective hyper-minority of humanity.
Accurate analysis of the human condition can be perceived as pessimism. Accurate, insightful analysis challenges humanity's widespread willful ignorance, innumerable irrational biases, and common delusions. So we can dismiss such analyses as a character defect: pessimism.
And to turn your argument back on you SRI, optimism can easily be perceived as a major fuel for the incredibly destructive results of humanity's dominion over Earth: wars, extreme poverty, famines, ecocide, etc. Optimism as blindness.
Tsakraklides *does* offer multiple solutions:
Substantially more reproductive (overpopulation) restraint than humanity exhibits.
Socialism over capitalism.
Being more environmentally aware.
Being well informed, and introspective and questioning of society.
Warning of consequences to mitigate or avoid.
Offering viewpoint alternatives / improvement.
Creating a forum for others to offer involvement and additional insights and solutions.
And so forth.
I plan on becoming a paying subscriber to this blog soon.
Although I am skeptical of both capitalism and socialism as just different methods to achieve humanity's raison d'être, especially with 8.1 billion of us:
Humans are here to destroy everything.
Pessimist? Or realist? You decide.
- @advocatetruth.bsky.social
Thank you for replying on my behalf Billy. Yes, I do offer many solutions. I just don't blab them out. They come out of my writings because I want to focus peoples' attention on the problems first and arrive there by themselves, rather than force a solution on them. Each of us has to come to terms with collapse using their own world view and thought process. Thank you again for your response, and SRI, I hope this helps.
I’ve been asking that myself Karen. I think there is no answer. Local governments are much more efficient and potentially less corrupt, but competition between city states and war would inevitably result in the formation of countries. My only hope would be for the world to become a single country e.g. an expanded European Union of some sort
It’s true. My local council is incredibly corrupt. I mention it in my post:
https://open.substack.com/pub/georgetsakraklides/p/memories-of-extinction?r=4mkmev&utm_medium=ios
Communities can be organized horizontally.
True, but that doesn’t necessarily ensure the building of hospitals, schools, roads, or provide public transport and infrastructure that crosses community boundaries. Richer communities often thrive at the expense of poorer communities which results in conflict and instability. It sounds egalitarian but the reality is often a more pronounced inequality than we experience today.
Stay domesticated then. It has and can be done. You lack historical knowledge and imagination. I never consented to be ruled over! 🕊