digitaltheory

Although this book is already 25 years old, it is amazingly up to date in its take on politics, philosophy, and ecology. The book is short, easy to read, but contains some very deep, fundamental concepts. The author writes about three filters through which decisions should be made: literate, numerate, and ecolate. The basic question a literate filter should ask is What are the words? In politics, words like absolute, infinite, non-negotiable and sacred mean that the speaker is unwilling to be a discussion partner. There is no use in negotiating with him, because he has his mind set, and is unwilling to compromise. The numerate filter asks the question What are the numbers?, but is more than just assigning numbers to things. It means objective measures of things, like risks, reliability, and the true total costs to society. The ecolate filter is derived from the word "ecology". This filter asks the question And then what? This filter asks what additional, perhaps unforseen consequences can come from a decision. The author talks a lot about three systems; socialism, commonism (not a typo), and privatism. In socialism, a central manager determines what people should contribute and receive. In commonism, each individual determines what he should contribute and receive. This system can work, but only in very small groups, under 100-150 in number. Above that number, the emotion of shame doesn't work. The author seems to prefer privatism, but it isn't a clear and simple issue. The author is a professor of human ecology. There is an entire chapter devoted to global warming, its causes and consequences. This chapter seems to be especially apropos today. I am surprised that he wrote about it 25 years ago! The author is also concerned with the hidden costs to society. So very often, a corporation generates some sort of pollution and reaps the profits and benefits, but spreads the hidden costs of cleanup to all society.

2022-10-21 05:20