[rasmus thorup]

Martin, on 11 August 2012 - 12:11 PM, said:

+1 to you, sir.

Growth is extremely dangerous, and people don't realise it. If something grows 7% every year, in ten years it is double the size it was to begin with. In industry this has massive repercussions. Let's say you take a town, who's population is growing 3.5% a year. In 20 years, that town needs double the resources it had to begin with. Double the food, double the power, double everything that is being consumed. Capitalism is based on growth. In a capitalist society, nothing is better than healthy, steady growth. It's a short-sighted way of life that cannot continue forever.

This chap explains it marvellously.

Because of the name of the video, i refuse to watch it.

[wayskobfssae]

rasmus thorup, on 11 August 2012 - 12:20 PM, said:

Because of the name of the video, i refuse to watch it.

WSJ Marketwatch

"Economists are master illusionists who rely on a set of fictions, fantasies and forecasts that emanate from a core magical mantra of Perpetual Growth that goes untested year after year.

And yet it’s used to manipulate the public into a set of policies and decisions that are leading the American and the world economy down a path of unsustainable globalization and GDP growth assumptions that will self-destruct the planet."

http://articles.mark...gdp-growth-myth

[Jeff]

wayskobfssae, on 11 August 2012 - 11:39 AM, said:

Maybe it is, maybe it isn't. But I've definitely found, in just about every aspect of life, that destruction always has this way of being "easier" than creation. It can take all day to climb a mountain, but only one loose rock or a moment of clumsiness to slip and die. Sure we can survive. But we won't do that by sitting around and pretending that everything will just fix itself.

The man who created capitalism, Adam Smith, believed in something called "The Invisible Hand" which is a feature of capitalism where the economy will fix itself if the government interferes less with business. For example, the government providing bailouts for companies so they don't fail is an example of government intervention, which is just making things worse.

[wayskobfssae]

Jeff, on 11 August 2012 - 02:15 PM, said:

The man who created capitalism, Adam Smith, believed in something called "The Invisible Hand" which is a feature of capitalism where the economy will fix itself if the government interferes less with business. For example, the government providing bailouts for companies so they don't fail is an example of government intervention, which is just making things worse.

I'm not just talking about the economy though. That's just one system out of countless social and natural ones that need to remain intact in order for society to continue thriving.

Considering the age of the concept, theory, belief... whatever you want to call it, The Invisible Hand seems a lot less relevant these days. I've noticed this phenomenon in cases of global/national vs. local economy numerous times. It seems that the more industrialized and more globalized we become, the less capable the market is of self-regulation.

And then there's always the the troublemakers who randomly show up like non-political world conquerers who intentionally throw the entire economy out of balance to their benefit. How can an economy stabilize when it is constantly being "hacked? (and I don't mean by the government, though I do agree there is a Hell of a lot of pointless regulation going on that accomplishes nothing, not even for Socialism).

[Jeff]

Maybe they should have just stuck with global trading instead of trying to build a huge mega corporation that controls everything? Out of hundreds of companies, only around six mega corporations run the media, and they're all tied in together. I kind of see what you're saying. Back in the 1800s or whenever capitalism was created, there weren't huge megacorporations like there are today. However, I don't really agree in just throwing them more money to stay afloat (bailouts). That just keeps putting us deeper into debt. There has to be a better way to deal with this.

[Mark]

LeoD, on 11 August 2012 - 11:53 AM, said:

You could do the Vatican in less than a year.

Easily if you're a young, good looking altar boy.

[rasmus thorup]

Marked, on 12 August 2012 - 03:52 AM, said:

Easily if you're a young, good looking altar boy.

And with a nice butt.

[Martin]

rasmus thorup, on 11 August 2012 - 12:20 PM, said:

Because of the name of the video, i refuse to watch it.

It's some guy talking about the exponential function, and how important it is. He's giving a lecture at a college. It's not a pretentious video, although the uploader gave it a pretentious name.

[wayskobfssae]

Just had to throw this out there now on the topic of Global Warming being a hoax according to certain people. They also said in 2011 that America doesn't need the NWS or Hurricane Tracking. Now their convention is doubling as a hurricane party. I find that funny.

[Inspector Lagomorf]

wayskobfssae, on 27 August 2012 - 01:15 PM, said:

Just had to throw this out there now on the topic of Global Warming being a hoax according to certain people. They also said in 2011 that America doesn't need the NWS or Hurricane Tracking. Now their convention is doubling as a hurricane party. I find that funny.

Could we stay away from global warming, that's a topic I reeeeeeally don't care much for. Obviously by "certain people" you're referring to the Republicans as some minority clique, which I don't understand.

Though I will note that the tropical storm by and large missed Tampa by a longshot. Now it's New Orleans that's going to get sunk.

[wayskobfssae]

Achenar, on 27 August 2012 - 01:23 PM, said:

Could we stay away from global warming, that's a topic I reeeeeeally don't care much for.

Though I will note that the tropical storm by and large missed Tampa by a longshot. Now it's New Orleans that's going to get sunk.

Yeah, I don't want to really go there either. I'm just noting that certain things we do or don't "need" are best not decided by some people. Still funny though. Postponing the convention because of information we allegedly shouldn't have access to.

[Jimmy]

I don't necessarily believe that humans are causing global warming. I believe it's just natural climate change, we are at the end of an ice age. I am anti-pollution though, purely for aesthetic reasons. I like having clean air, pure water, and a tidy environment to live in.