The Long Descent

By John Michael Greer

Subjects: Twenty-first century, Prévisions, Current Events, Technologie et civilisation, Nonfiction, Forecasts, General, Science, Industrial management, HISTORY, Changement social, Décadence, Forecasting, Technology and civilization, Vingt et unième siècle, Prévision, Regression (Civilization), Technology, Technologie, Citizen participation, Social aspects, Sustainable development, Aspect social, Social change, Participation des citoyens, Environmentalism

Description: Americans are expressing deep concern about US dependence on petroleum, rising energy prices, and the threat of climate change. Unlike the energy crisis of the 1970s, however, there is a lurking fear that now the times are different and the crisis may not easily be resolved. The Long Descent examines the basis of such fear through three core themes: Industrial society is following the same well-worn path that has led other civilizations into decline, a path involving a much slower and more complex transformation than the sudden catastrophes imagined by so many social critics today. The roots of the crisis lie in the cultural stories that shape the way we understand the world. Since problems cannot be solved with the same thinking that created them, these ways of thinking need to be replaced with others better suited to the needs of our time. It is too late for massive programs for top-down change; the change must come from individuals.