In The Upside of Down, political scientist and award-winning author Thomas Homer-Dixon argues
converging stresses could cause a catastrophic breakdown of national and global order — a social earthquake that could hurt billions of people. But he shows that this outcome isn't inevitable; there's much we can do to prevent it. And after setting out a general theory of the growth, breakdown, and renewal of societies, he shows that less severe types of breakdown could open up extraordinary opportunities for creative, bold reform of our societies.
Interview with Homer-Dixon here. How, I wonder, could a person make a buck off "catastrophic breakdown of national and global order" while preserving, protecting, and defending the accumulated wealth of those at the top? I'll bet Carlyle Group has the answer. As the darker scenarios unfold, and we see human nature exposed, will it be a time of communal return to a simpler life, or will it be Hobbesian struggle over the remaining food, water, and energy? I keep visualizing organic farmers, among the ruins, preyed upon by roving bands of what were once investment bankers.
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