[lbo-talk] Narmada Dam (was Arundhati Roy etc.)

[Dwayne Monroe]

What I don't get is why this debate - which comes up
from the valley for a visit every now and again, like
a loud cousin you only sort of like - pits cavemen
against astronauts.

It's (nearly) always 'are we better off than hunter
gatherers?'  

A much more interesting question, at least to me, is
whether or not my overall, plastic assisted, face
recognition AI secured 'quality of life' is superior
to that of a mid level functionary in 10th century
China or the Roman empire at its organizational height
or a Philadelphian of 1700 or a person living in some
other complex, but pre-industrial, past civilization.

At least then we'd be comparing large scale to large
scale, restaurant and library hosting civilizations to
restaurant and library hosting civilizations.  This
wouldn't guarantee better assumptions or less cultural
anthropology volleyball but it might level the
debating field of battle a wee bit.

.d.