Elements of a Durable Civilization
I have been thinking about what it will take to move from a global civilization to a planetary civilization — and why we need to.
First, consider how we talk about civilization. Mostly, it seems we talk about how it will end and how soon and why. Lately, everything the public frets about gets elevated to where it has to be seen as an “existential threat” to civilization. Over-population! Y2K! Artificial intelligence! Mass extinction! Climate change! Nuclear war! Under-population!
On examination, most are serious in important ways, but declaring that any will certainly end human civilization is an exaggeration that poisons public discourse and distracts us from our primary undertaking, which is managing civilization’s continuity and enhancement.
I suggest it is best thought of as part of our planet’s continuity. Over billions of years, Earth’s life has been through a lot, yet life abides, and with a steady increase over time in complexity.
