| > I have absolutely no idea what you mean by "Wylie E Coyote period", can you explain? The sibling reply expressed this as well. Wile E. runs off a cliff, the forward momentum keeps gravity in check but only for a short time. The fact that human population continues to grow isn't by itself sufficient evidence that there are no existing parallel, possibly embryonic, trends developing that'll change that later. The period where both of these are true would be similar to when Wile E. is no longer on solid ground and hasn't yet fallen. It's a temporary and (on a relative basis, which could exceed human lifespan for sufficiently complex or slowly moving trends) brief period. To be clear, I don't think it's an accurate view of where we are today. On the other hand, had the changes we've seen since 1970s not come to pass, it'd be harder to say. (An example that is climate change specific is the exponentially decreasing cost curve for solar energy.) > Either way, I wasn't attempting a definitive list with my two items and "etc" So long as the focus is on the definitive then IMHO there is value in looking hard here. Otherwise, why bother? > Today's weapons are definitely scarier than 1970s weapons. Can you say more? |