Re: Space-based power makes CNN.com - comments may be entertaining

On Jun 3, 11:44 am, Willie.Moo...@xxxxxxxxx wrote:
The 24 years isn't a supply. Its a rate. 4% annual growth in
energy consumption equals the revised amounts of production capacity
in 24 years. To avoid economic downturn, supply shortages, price
increases and so forth, after this time, requires additional capacity
be brought on line. Rather than expand the production of synthetic
fuels, solar hydrogen, or extracted fuels, direct beaming from space
is a viable alternative after this time.

Environmentalists will likely be aghast at this sort of approach
despite it achieving the end of reduced carbon output to levels that
may be handlled by our environment today. That's because we're doing
nothing to the underlying economic engine that they say drives the
continuing exponential expansion of resources. These crypto-
communists like to blame the consumerist culture as the culprit of our
major difficulties.

While it is true certain excesses in consumption can create a life of
plenty that is also devoid of meaning or joy or happiness - it does
not follow that denying a decent living to billions of folks living a
subsistence lifestyle would reduce meaning in their lives. It also
does not follow that those who use consumption of things as a
replacement for spiritual goals are the cause of poverty in this world
- though moralists like to draw that conclusion.

Fact is, we need to increase our output of energy, goods and services
in sustainable ways at low cost to give our global culture a shot at
civilized existence. Fact is, we are far far ahead when resolving
the failures of our distribution systems in meeting the needs of
everyone.

Crime and warfare will cost society regardless. What is the least
cost approach?

1) Letting crime and warfare run rampant has one set of well-defined
costs.
2) Building up a police force and prisons and doing something about
crime and warfare has another set of well-defined costs.
3) Addressing difficulties in production and distribution so that the
root causes of crime and warfare are eliminated has another set of
well-defined costs.

We are taking the first approach with warfare and international drug
dealing. We are making a half-heared attempt at the second approach
with other sorts of crime - drug dealing within national borders,
adding in for good measure, crimes against the beliefs of dominant
cultures within nations - filliing prisons with non violent
'criminals' that really do no harm to society, only to the beliefs of
those who are in control. Wasting resources. As for the third, we
haven't even studied it seriously - let alone carry out a reasonable
program to see if it can be made to work. We have had welfare
programs to be sure and statist fantasies. These have been based on
ideological goals and theories - having very little to do with
practical ends. Most have ended in failure, or have grown to be very
very costly. Again for ideological reasons.

Fact is, we don't know how to organize our affairs efficiently, so we
have a variety of common mode failures. These failures are not
caused by excessive consumption, nor does the consumption by one
necessarily deprive others. Furthermore, depending on method of
production and other details, increased consumption need not harm the
Earth.

Even so, it is also true that unlimited growth in human numbers and
human consumption can lead to crazy scenarios. Isaac Asimov did a
study once that showed that 1.5% annual growth rate in human numbers -
which was the peak growth rate in humans - which occurred in the 1960s
- would convert the entire cosmos into human flesh in 15,000years.
While such growth is not sustainable - that statement is distinctly
different than saying growth itself is not immediately sustainable.

Obviously we can tap into the resources of the solar system - solar
energy, asteroidal feedstocks to industry - and use advanced machine
systems - telerobotics and automation - to transform life on Earth,
while reducing our impact on the environment to nil. This will not
set the stage to large scale expansion and destruction of the cosmos
at the hands of humans.

Why?

Because when standard of living improves beyond a certai point,
reproductive rates fall below replacement levels. So, individual
standard of living can rise to infinity, while total use of resources
remain constant as human numbers drop to zero.

Of course human consumption will not rise to infinity nor numbers drop
to zero any more than the cosmos will be converted into a solid mass
of human flesh. All the numbers are telling us is that high
technology will naturally reach an equilibrium point where exponential
growth will naturally subside as a homeostasis is reached - without
uneeded - and harmful - ideological inputs.

All we must do at this stage is recognize our failures, and excesses,
and seek to correct them.

We need to do something about disparity of income.(universal growth)
We need to do something about carbon (Al Gore is right)
We need to do something about nuclear proliferation (Amy Carter was
right)

and so on...

Cells in the human body have the capacity for exponential growth. Its
how a fertilized egg becomes a human being. Its how cells function -
when homeostasis is reached - growth stops - and the capacity for cell
division and growth - is controlled to maintain health.

Its clear this is how human culture is going. We have an early stage
of exponential growth - perhaps continuous exponential growth per
person - but factors arise to create a stable situation - as long as
we don't let ideologies subvert these natural processes - and correct
the excesses.

The USA is using disparity of income to maintain a tight control of
nuclear weapons. That paradigm failed with the spread of loose nukes
and the attacks of 9/11. The war on terror is a continuation of a
failed paradigm. We need another approach. First among equals - is
a concept that allows the USA to maintain a declining disparity over
the next 20 years - and develop other means - such as being a reliable
shepherd toward growth and prosperity and peace - as disparity
disappears - to maintain the control it needs to remain safe.

The nuclear genii takes a more direct approach. Create an enhanced
non-proliferation treaty to rid the world of fissile materials. All
of them. Yeild them all to an international body which then converts
them to non-threatening impulse units for a fleet of nuclear pulse
spacecraft. Then carry our a piloted grand tour of the solar system
putting in place a city on the moon, a city on orbit, and a city on
mars, along with research outposts throughout the solar system.
Participation in the program is contingent on signing the enhanced
nuclear non-proliferation treaty. The bulk of the materials will be
used to return to Earth orbit rich asteroidal fragments that are mined
and developed with orbiting teleoperated factories that will rain down
products and food to everyone on Earth. A small quantity will be
housed on the moon, along with a nuclear research center and survey of
small Earth crosing bodies - that may have to be deflected using the
same technology that brought riches to everyone on Earth.

The ability to wage unlimited warfare will end for nations.

Technology changes humans.

Medical advances will naturally lead to changes of conciousness that
make warfare impossible. It is clear that slavery and animal abuse
ended about the same time anesthetics were developed. Prior to that
time suffering was part and parcel of life. After anesthetics,
suffering was optional. A generation without suffering passed, and
those that followed, found the suffering of others, even the suffering
of animals, intolerable.

When aging and death are brought under control, a similar conciousness
will take hold about killing one another for any reason. There is a
difference between a world where everyone dies, and a world where
death is optional. As a result a similar sensitivity will emerge.

Our movement into space will also transform our conciousness. A
handful of men travelling to the moon and taking pictures of the whole
Earth from the vicinity of the moon, created a change of conciousness
that resulted in the environmental movement. A small group of that
handful entered religious orders - citing their experiences during
their journey. Hundreds to thousands of men and women travelling the
length and breadth of the solar system for a decade or more - will
lead to new insights and religious movements that will displace the
ancient and outdated insights that inform us now.

Wealth transforms conciousness. Those who are to nobility born are
different sorts of people than those who are not. This has nothing
to do with innate differences - but has to do with their assumptions
about life as they mature.

As technology and science transform the material world more to
humanity's liking - this cannot help but have a transforming effect to
humans, turning us all into 'nobles' so to speak. The transformation
is very likely to be more dramatic than we can ever expect. Consider
the silver foxes of Russia. The Tame Silver Fox is the result of
experiments in Russia to domesticate the Red Fox. The foxes become
more tame and more friendly with humans. There is a cascading genetic
effect when foxes are selected for tameness that extends far beyond
mere tameness.

When human frustration subsides generally with greater wealth and
happiness generally, we may find humans within a generation to be
distinctly different than humans today, not only behaviorally, but
genetically as well. More childlike and more naive in certain
respects, and may have features that are seen rarely if at all in
humans today.

What we need is fewer words of wisdom from lord Mook, and more
positive and/or constructive actions taking place. When if ever do
you and your bipolar DARPA mindset plan to start? (other than on
paper)
.. - . Brad Guth Brad_Guth Brad.Guth BradGuth
.

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