Reply #20: Anyone trying to develop an over-arching theory covering

[Blue Meany]

all of history is going to produce a flawed work, because no one can synthesise that much information. These authors are no exception, nor is Diamond. There is,however,a lot of hisorical research that supports the notion that environmental over-reach is a major cause of societal collapse. It may not be the only one, and one cannot predict with certainty that we are facing that. However, given our dependence on non-renewable resources and the very real limits to all resources on this planet, even if our sociey hangs together it is likely to feel a lot like a collapse to those who cannot voluntariy wean themselves from wasteful lifestles. The economy on Wall-Street, being a totally socially constructed one used for siphoning of wealth from the productve sectors can perhaps last forever, but the real economy cannot continue to grow much longer, especially without massive new energy sources that will be needed to obtain and/or recycle the raw materials needed to produce things.