« Enough with "Like" Already | Main | History. Erased. »

July 22, 2012

"Civilization is more fragile than most believe.

"Note that a true dark age comes not when we lose the ability to do something, but forget that we ever had that ability:
as for instance no university Department of Education seems aware that in the 1930's to the end of World War II, essentially the only adult illiterates in the United States were people who had never been to school to begin with (see the Army's tests of conscripts)...Anyway, that's what we mean by a Dark Age. As with the 5th Century peasant in France who gets a yield of perhaps 3 bushels a year on land that under Roman civilization yielded 12 -- and has not only forgotten how to get such yields, but has no idea that such yields have ever been possible." -- Jerry Pournelle / Via Mike James

Posted by gerardvanderleun at July 22, 2012 11:03 AM. This is an entry on the sideblog of American Digest: Check it out.

Your Say

When the Iceman was discovered it was quickly seen that the arrows in his quiver were rifled, a technology unknown to the Romans. In seven hundred years, the great acheivments of the Romans, other than the invention of concrete, were law and order. When they left Briton in the fifth century, the Britons could not build a decent permanent structure, road, or bath. They had been middling potters before the Romans came, but forgot that as well. Two opposites, Hayek and Freud, agreed that all advances in civilization involve the renunciation of instict. What we see in socialism is the return to instinct. Islam never left it. That is why they often find common cause.

Posted by: james wilson at July 22, 2012 10:01 AM

Happens to companies all the time. Somebody has been there a while, retires or leaves. Has acquired in addition to what it says on his job description a whole bunch of little stuff that isn't written down anywhere. Made a nice and very rewarding consulting career for me.

Posted by: glenn at July 22, 2012 4:17 PM

Post a comment




Remember Me?

(you may use HTML tags for style)