>Science may yet produce the trump card. We the humans may colonise
>the space. Then all the population of the world may not be enough
>to face new challenges of production and growth! With so much
>oportunity open, infightimg and war amongst people of the world to
>command resources may simply stop.
I recall several years ago discussing this problem of infinite growth in the context of a finite planet with a capitalist mate of mine. Colonising space was the answer he came up with in the end as well.
To be honest, I was staggered and appalled. In theory perhaps that may save the capitalist system, but as I pointed out it would also spell doom for most of humanity. Obviously it would be impractical to send billions of people into space, even in the unlikely event that there was somewhere to go, or some way to get them all there. So destroying the planet we actually have, in the hope that we might move to another one when this one is buggered is the ultimate genocidal strategy.
Of course, as he admitted, only the rich could hope to afford a ticket on that escape. Even on those terms it is complete madness. And Wojtek accuses ME of being utopian!
>Let us think globally as one human family.
Amen. Now, setting aside the utopian notion of space colonisation as a solution to the long-term problem that capitalism can only exist in an environment of economic growth, is there anyone who argues that capitalism doesn't require growth to continue? If so, how? If not, then how can indefinite capitalism be regarded as anything but a "utopian" notion.
Bill Bartlett Bracknell Tas