We live in an age where energy is cheap and abundant, but I strongly believe that all geologic indicators (as well as geopolitical indicators) suggest this will not be true. Most of you should not be surprise that I believe this. And many of you have frequently heard me rant and peak oil, water scarcity, and that ilk. I'm not going to delve deeply into those topics right now. Others have said it better.
Today I'm thinking about the conflict of Man versus Machine. It's one of these standard literary tropes. And I wonder how much we believe that machines are *better* than us. They are more powerful. They are more efficient. They can work longer. Machines have taken over in the Matrix. John Henry, our mythically strong folk hero, was defeated by the steam drill. Yes, we overcome machines sometimes, but only through great difficulty, luck, or by subverting them and making them benign (while still acknowledging our reliance on their strength).
But a lot of this machine myth is based upon the assumption that energy will be cheap and abundant. ...that complex supply chains will be stable. ... that distance and location is not a factor. And in a time of energy decline, none of these assumptions will be true.
I remember a conversation with a good friend of mine. This friend is super, super intelligent. But when talking about an economy of peak oil, this friend was certain that the internet would remain. I was truly surprised by the level of important this person placed on something like the internet. Yes, the knowledge gained by the web is immense, but when someone has to choose between hiking into the mountains to repair a fiber-optical cable between two towns, and spending a week harvesting food, or constructing a building... I just can't see a rational person choosing to support the vast, elaborate machine that is the internet.
And upon reflect, I just find it amazing how deeply set a lot of our assumptions are regarding machines, regarding what they can do, and regarding their strengths.
This post was inspired by John Michael Greer's latest, and much more thorough, post on his website.
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