On Feb 18, 2010, at 2:12 PM, Trent Shipley wrote:
Keith Henson wrote:
If we don't solve the energy problem as many as 6 out of 7 people
will
*die* in famines and resource wars.
Where will they live?
(I am a member of a tribe. Global civilization can go stuff itself.)
I assume that you mean where would they live if they _didn't_ die,
by way of arguing that a certain degree of culling is necessary,
or at least acceptable.
That is, I assume that you're not asking the old trick question,
"Quick: A plane with 200 people crashes right on the border of two
countries. Where do they bury the survivors?"
Like a lot of people, I suspect, I care far more for my family than I do
for, say, members of my church (a proxy for tribe). I care more for
members of that "tribe" than for other San Joseans, Californians,
USAans,
and so forth. Once I get beyond my Dunbar number (and certainly less
than
an order of magnitude above it), the difference between how much I
actually care about individuals in those larger and larger groups is
down in the noise.
But it never reaches zero. Apparently, for someone like Keith, it
appears to be further above zero than it is for you, with your "Global
civilization can go stuff itself" frame.
Evidently, John Donne's bell, at least insofar as "any man's death
diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind", doesn't toll as loudly
for thee.
Dave
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