Industrial civilization, with its outrageous fortune, is killing the planet, plunging all life into a veritable sea of troubles. Our main modern problem is our (seemingly) inability to think about a future longer than say six months and our inability to work with each other to promote social and environmental reforms.
Pitfalls of industrial civilization mentioned here are something like cancer in the human body. At the beginning the symptoms may not appear to be very acute and it can pass off like something as minor as cold. As the cancer progresses it starts to reveal ever more serious effects, but by the time the victim does pay attention it is very often too late. The longer the failure to treat it, the greater the risk of it proving fatal.
We used to think about saving the planet, and though that's still essential, what's now really at stake is civilization itself. We have a growing backlog of unresolved problems: deforestation, collapsing fisheries, expanding deserts, falling water tables, deteriorating grasslands, melting icebergs, eroding soils, diminishing food. Nearly every one of these trends is getting worse and the fallout is becoming more difficult to manage, especially in developing countries. If allowed to continue unchecked there is nothing that will prevent us all being swept into history’s dustbins, like so many other civilizations. Now, to that list add the impact of climate change, population growth and peak oil.
Pitfalls of industrial civilization mentioned here are something like cancer in the human body. At the beginning the symptoms may not appear to be very acute and it can pass off like something as minor as cold. As the cancer progresses it starts to reveal ever more serious effects, but by the time the victim does pay attention it is very often too late. The longer the failure to treat it, the greater the risk of it proving fatal.
We used to think about saving the planet, and though that's still essential, what's now really at stake is civilization itself. We have a growing backlog of unresolved problems: deforestation, collapsing fisheries, expanding deserts, falling water tables, deteriorating grasslands, melting icebergs, eroding soils, diminishing food. Nearly every one of these trends is getting worse and the fallout is becoming more difficult to manage, especially in developing countries. If allowed to continue unchecked there is nothing that will prevent us all being swept into history’s dustbins, like so many other civilizations. Now, to that list add the impact of climate change, population growth and peak oil.
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There are four classes: lazy intelligent, busy intelligent, lazy foolish, and active foolish. The active foolish is a fourth-class man. So at the present moment they're very active, but they're all foolish. Therefore the world is in danger. Active foolishness. Foolish, if he stops, he does not work, it is better. But as soon as he becomes active he becomes more dangerous. |
Earth 2100
Earth 2100 is a television program that will be presented by the American Broadcasting Company (ABC) network and will be scheduled to air in March of 2009. Hosted by ABC journalist Bob Woodruff, the 2 hour special will explore the consequences of our future if humans do not take action on current or impending problems that could threaten our own society. The problems addressed in the program include climate change, overpopulation, and misuse of energy resources.
The program will include projections of the state of a dystopian Earth in the years 2015, 2050, 2070, and 2100 by leading scientists, historians, and economists.
The program will include projections of the state of a dystopian Earth in the years 2015, 2050, 2070, and 2100 by leading scientists, historians, and economists.
EROEI and Societal Collapse Theory
Thomas Homer-Dixon has recently suggested that societal collapse occurs as a result of a reduction in the Energy Return on Energy Invested or EROEI. This is the measure of the amount of energy needed to secure a source of energy. Societal collapse occurs whenever the EROEI approaches 1:1. If it falls below 1:1, those attempting to harvest the energy source have insufficient energy to maintain themselves, and famine results. An EROEI of more than 1 is necessary to provide sufficient energy for socially important tasks, such as constructing buildings, maintaining infrastructure, and supporting the social elite upon which a society depends. The EROEI figure also determines the ratio between the number of people engaged in energy extraction compared to the total population. For example in the pre-modern world, it was often the case that 80% of the population was employed in agriculture to feed a population of 100%. In modern times, the use of fossil fuels with an exceedingly high EROEI has enabled 100% of the population to be employed with only 4% of the population employed in agriculture. Diminishing returns of an unsustainable EROEI, Homer Dixon proposes, leads to societal collapse.
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“Newspapers are unable, seemingly to discriminate between a bicycle accident and the collapse of civilization” |
The Olduvai Theory of Industrial Civilization Sliding Towards The Post-industrial Stone Age
An Olduvai scenario of industrial society was envisioned by historian Henry Adams in 1893, quantified by architect Frederick Ackerman in 1932, and graphed by geophysicist King Hubbert in 1949.
The Olduvai Theory states that the life expectancy of industrial civilization is approximately 100 years: around 1930-2030. Energy production per capita (e) defines it.
This theory proposes four postulates:
Postulate 1: The exponential growth of world energy production would end in 1970 .
Postulate 2: Average energy production per capita will show no growth from 1979 through circa 2008.
Postulate 3: The rate of change of energy production per capita will go steeply negative around 2008.
Postulate4: World population decline will follow roughly the same pattern of decline in Energy production per capita (e) resulting in a population of about two billion circa 2050.
The Olduvai Theory states that the life expectancy of industrial civilization is approximately 100 years: around 1930-2030. Energy production per capita (e) defines it.
This theory proposes four postulates:
Postulate 1: The exponential growth of world energy production would end in 1970 .
Postulate 2: Average energy production per capita will show no growth from 1979 through circa 2008.
Postulate 3: The rate of change of energy production per capita will go steeply negative around 2008.
Postulate4: World population decline will follow roughly the same pattern of decline in Energy production per capita (e) resulting in a population of about two billion circa 2050.
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“My idea of our civilization is that it is a shoddy, poor thing and full of cruelties, vanities, arrogances, meannesses and hypocrisies” |
Olduvai Gorge is an archaeological site in the eastern Serengeti Plains in northern Tanzania. The gorge is a very steep-sided ravine roughly 30 miles long and 295 ft. deep. Exposed deposits show rich fossil fauna, many hominid remains and items belonging to one of the oldest stone tool technologies, called Olduwan. The objects recovered date from 2,100,000 to 15,000 years ago.
The name of this premier site for studying the archaeology has been taken to label the theory that industrial civilization will soon collapse and send humankind into precipitous decline.
The proximate cause of the collapse of industrial civilization, if and when it occurs, will be that the electric power grids go down and never come back up.
Theory is based on the premise that there is no comprehensive substitute for oil in its high-energy density, ease of handling, myriad end-uses, and in the volumes in which we now use it. The peak of world oil production and then its irreversible decline will be a turning point in Earth history with worldwide impact beyond anything previously seen. And that event will surely occur within the lifetimes of most people living today.
The name of this premier site for studying the archaeology has been taken to label the theory that industrial civilization will soon collapse and send humankind into precipitous decline.
The proximate cause of the collapse of industrial civilization, if and when it occurs, will be that the electric power grids go down and never come back up.
Theory is based on the premise that there is no comprehensive substitute for oil in its high-energy density, ease of handling, myriad end-uses, and in the volumes in which we now use it. The peak of world oil production and then its irreversible decline will be a turning point in Earth history with worldwide impact beyond anything previously seen. And that event will surely occur within the lifetimes of most people living today.
‘Social Steady State’ and ‘Social Change’
We shall define as a “social steady state” any society in which the quantity of energy expended per capita shows no appreciable change as a function of time. On the other hand a society wherein the average quantity of energy expended per capita undergoes appreciable change as a function of time is said to exhibit “social change.” Upon this basis we can measure quantitatively the physical status of any given social system. The energy per capita equals the total amount of energy expended divided by the population. This is known as Ackerman’s Law and is expressed by the ratio: e = Energy/Population.
In 1949 King Hubbert noted that world energy consumption per capita, e, after historically rising very gradually from about 2,000 to 10,000 kilogram calories per day, then increased to a much higher level in the 19th century.
In 1949 King Hubbert noted that world energy consumption per capita, e, after historically rising very gradually from about 2,000 to 10,000 kilogram calories per day, then increased to a much higher level in the 19th century.
This civilization should be brought down as soon as possible in order to save the planet. So much damage has been done, that it's not a matter of if, but when.
-Jensen
Electromagnetic Civilization
Electricity is the most versatile and convenient end-use energy ever put to use by humanity. But one catch is that electricity is “everywhere and nowhere.”
Think of all the energized switches, outlets, and wires in an “empty” room plus the electromagnetic waves that pervade it at the speed of light (AM, FM, TV, cell phone, etc.). Then there is the vastly greater expanse of man-made electromagnetic energy that envelops the planet and radiates out into the space. Every power plant generates electromagnetic waves. From there they follow countless miles of high voltage wave guides (commonly called “wires” or “lines”) at near the speed of light to numerous customer loads: heaters, motors, telephones, lights, antennas, radios, televisions, fiber-optic systems, Internet, etc. We constantly “swim” through this sea of electromagnetic energy just as fishes swim through water. And, like water to fishes, this ethereal energy is vital to modern civilization.
Think of all the energized switches, outlets, and wires in an “empty” room plus the electromagnetic waves that pervade it at the speed of light (AM, FM, TV, cell phone, etc.). Then there is the vastly greater expanse of man-made electromagnetic energy that envelops the planet and radiates out into the space. Every power plant generates electromagnetic waves. From there they follow countless miles of high voltage wave guides (commonly called “wires” or “lines”) at near the speed of light to numerous customer loads: heaters, motors, telephones, lights, antennas, radios, televisions, fiber-optic systems, Internet, etc. We constantly “swim” through this sea of electromagnetic energy just as fishes swim through water. And, like water to fishes, this ethereal energy is vital to modern civilization.
“The big cities stand out as bright yellow-orange dots on NASA's satellite mosaics (i.e. pictures) of the earth at night. These planetary lights blare out "Beware," "Warning," and "Danger." The likes of Los Angeles and Chicago and Baltimore-to-Boston, London and Paris and Brussels-to-Berlin, Bombay and Hong Kong and Osaka-to-Tokyo are all unsustainable hot spots.”
The second catch is that electricity is generated, transmitted, and distributed by a complex, far-flung, costly, and fragile infrastructure.
The electric power networks are the largest, most complex machines ever constructed. They have been built, rebuilt, and interconnected over many decades with a baffling variety of hardware, software, standards and regulations. The ravenous input nodes must be continuously fed with immense amounts of primary energy and then the output nodes deliver electromagnetic energy to myriad customer loads.
Between the input and output nodes are power plants, substations, and transmission and distribution lines and towers. Then there are power control centers that monitor and manage the generation, transmission, and distribution of electric power over local, regional, and super-regional areas. Each control center has numerous computers, databases, and special software to monitor and control the flow of power. Thoroughly trained and dedicated operators are essential to keep the grids going 24/7/365.
The electric power networks are the largest, most complex machines ever constructed. They have been built, rebuilt, and interconnected over many decades with a baffling variety of hardware, software, standards and regulations. The ravenous input nodes must be continuously fed with immense amounts of primary energy and then the output nodes deliver electromagnetic energy to myriad customer loads.
Between the input and output nodes are power plants, substations, and transmission and distribution lines and towers. Then there are power control centers that monitor and manage the generation, transmission, and distribution of electric power over local, regional, and super-regional areas. Each control center has numerous computers, databases, and special software to monitor and control the flow of power. Thoroughly trained and dedicated operators are essential to keep the grids going 24/7/365.
Permanent Blackouts - A Theoretical Possibility
The third catch, according to the Olduvai Theory, is that sooner or later the power grids will go down and never come back up. The reasons are many. The International Energy Agency (lEA, 2004) estimates that the cumulative worldwide energy investment funds required from 2003 to 2030 would be about $15.32 trillion allocated as follows:
1. Coal: $0.29T (1.9% of the total),
2. Oil: $2.69T (17.6%),
3. Gas: $2.69T (17.6%),
4. Electricity: $9.66T (63.1%).
Thus the lEA projects that the worldwide investment funds essential for electricity will be 3.7 times the amount needed for oil alone, and much greater than all of that required for oil, gas, and coal combined.
The Olduvai Theory says that the already debt-ridden nations, cities, and corporations will not be able to raise the $15.32 trillion in investment funds required by 2030 for world energy. (Not to mention the vastly greater investment funds required for agriculture, roads, streets, schools, railroads, water resources, sewer systems, and so forth.)
1. Coal: $0.29T (1.9% of the total),
2. Oil: $2.69T (17.6%),
3. Gas: $2.69T (17.6%),
4. Electricity: $9.66T (63.1%).
Thus the lEA projects that the worldwide investment funds essential for electricity will be 3.7 times the amount needed for oil alone, and much greater than all of that required for oil, gas, and coal combined.
The Olduvai Theory says that the already debt-ridden nations, cities, and corporations will not be able to raise the $15.32 trillion in investment funds required by 2030 for world energy. (Not to mention the vastly greater investment funds required for agriculture, roads, streets, schools, railroads, water resources, sewer systems, and so forth.)
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The end of the human race will be that it will eventually die of civilization. |
World Energy and Population
“During the last two centuries we have known nothing but exponential growth and in parallel we have evolved what amounts to an exponential-growth culture, a culture so heavily dependent upon the continuance of exponential growth for its stability that it is incapable of reckoning with problems of no growth.” (M. King Hubbert, 1976)
The Olduvai Theory is based on time-series data of world energy production and population. We can rank the five sources of energy production by the duration of their intervals of exponential growth:
1. Coal grew exponentially for 209 years: 1700-1909.
2. Oil grew exponentially for 137 years: 1833-1970.
3. Natural gas grew exponentially for 90 years: 1880-1970.
4. Hydroelectric energy grew exponentially for 82 years: 1890-1972.
5. Nuclear-electric energy grew exponentially for 20 years: 1955-1975.
It is to be noted that none of the above five sources of primary energy production grew exponentially after 1975.
There is the possibility that world coal and/or nuclear-electric energy production could grow exponentially for very brief periods in the future, but that option does not exist for oil, natural gas, or hydroelectric energy production.
The Olduvai Theory is based on time-series data of world energy production and population. We can rank the five sources of energy production by the duration of their intervals of exponential growth:
1. Coal grew exponentially for 209 years: 1700-1909.
2. Oil grew exponentially for 137 years: 1833-1970.
3. Natural gas grew exponentially for 90 years: 1880-1970.
4. Hydroelectric energy grew exponentially for 82 years: 1890-1972.
5. Nuclear-electric energy grew exponentially for 20 years: 1955-1975.
It is to be noted that none of the above five sources of primary energy production grew exponentially after 1975.
There is the possibility that world coal and/or nuclear-electric energy production could grow exponentially for very brief periods in the future, but that option does not exist for oil, natural gas, or hydroelectric energy production.
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“That is the way of material civilization, too much depending on machine. At any time the whole thing may collapse and therefore we may not be self complacent depending so much on artificial life. The modern life of civilization depends wholly on electricity and petrol and both of them are artificial for man.” |
World Total Energy Production And Energy Production Per Capita
By combining world oil, natural gas, coal, nuclear, and hydroelectric energy production, we get the world total energy production. World total energy production grew exponentially at about 4.6%/y from 1700 to 1909. Next it grew linearly at 2.2%/ y from 1909 to 1930 and 1.5%/y from 1930 to 1945. Subsequently it surged exponentially at 5.5%/y from 1945 to 1970. This was followed by linear growth at 3.5%/y from 1970 to 1979. Thereafter world total energy production slowed to linear growth of about 1.5%/y from 1979 to 2003.
World population grew linearly at an average of 0.5%/y from 1850 to 1909; 0.8%/y from 1909 to 1930; 1.0%/y from 1930 to 1945; 1.7%/y from 1945 to 1970; 1.8%/y from 1970 to 1979; and 1.5%/y from 1979 to 2003 (UN, 2004)
Comparing the foregoing numbers: World total energy production easily outpaced world population growth from 1700 to 1979, but then from 1979 through 2003 total energy production and population growth went dead even at 1.5%/y each.
World total energy production per capita, e, grew exponentially at 3.9%/y from 1700 to 1909. Thereafter it grew at linear rates of 1.4%/y from 1909 to 1930; 0.5%/y from 1930 to 1945; 3.7%/y from 1945 to 1970;1.7%/y from 1970 to 1979; and 0.0%/y (i.e., zero net growth, called the ‘Plateau’) from 1979 to 2003.
World population grew linearly at an average of 0.5%/y from 1850 to 1909; 0.8%/y from 1909 to 1930; 1.0%/y from 1930 to 1945; 1.7%/y from 1945 to 1970; 1.8%/y from 1970 to 1979; and 1.5%/y from 1979 to 2003 (UN, 2004)
Comparing the foregoing numbers: World total energy production easily outpaced world population growth from 1700 to 1979, but then from 1979 through 2003 total energy production and population growth went dead even at 1.5%/y each.
World total energy production per capita, e, grew exponentially at 3.9%/y from 1700 to 1909. Thereafter it grew at linear rates of 1.4%/y from 1909 to 1930; 0.5%/y from 1930 to 1945; 3.7%/y from 1945 to 1970;1.7%/y from 1970 to 1979; and 0.0%/y (i.e., zero net growth, called the ‘Plateau’) from 1979 to 2003.
The Olduvai Theory Chronology - Seven Stages
i)1930 - Olduvai theory takes this period as the real beginning of the Industrial civilization. (From 1930 to 1945 e shows irregular growth during the Great Depression and World War II.)
“The dinosaur’s eloquent lesson is that if some bigness is good, an overabundance of bigness is not necessarily better.”
- Eric Johnston.
ii)1945 - Very strong growth begins; (The strong growth from 1945 to 1970 correlates with the strong growth in world oil and natural gas production.)
iii)1970 - Growth begins to slowdown. (The slowing growth of e from 1970 to 1979 reflects slackening oil production.)
iv)1979 - The no-growth “Plateau” begins. (The rugged Plateau from 1979 to 2003 shows that energy production ran neck-in-neck with population growth.)
v)2004 - The “Brink” begins. (The Brink from 2004 to circa 2008 represents the energy industry’s struggle to keep up with rising demand.)
vi)2008 - The “Cliff ” begins. (The Olduvai Cliff from circa 2008 to 2030 correlates with a spreading epidemic of permanent blackouts) and
vii)Circa 2030 - Industrial civilization ends. (From 2030 onward society approaches the agrarian level of existence.)
The most reliable leading indicator of the Olduvain Cliff event, if and when it happens, will be brownouts and rolling blackouts. As a result of permanent blackouts of electric power the industries of all civilized countries would stop working, so that, with millions unemployed and with a total cut in the production of goods, unprecedented and incurable misery would occur, killing perhaps three-quarters of the population, and leaving the rest in a deplorable state. (Thirring, 1956, p. 135). Thus the permanent blackouts will happen one-by-one, region-by-region, and spreading worldwide over time – will be the proximate (direct, immediate) cause of the collapse of industrial civilization.
Thus as per Olduvai Theory and what King Hubbert realized In 1949, the human population could collapse back to “the agrarian level of existence”
iii)1970 - Growth begins to slowdown. (The slowing growth of e from 1970 to 1979 reflects slackening oil production.)
iv)1979 - The no-growth “Plateau” begins. (The rugged Plateau from 1979 to 2003 shows that energy production ran neck-in-neck with population growth.)
v)2004 - The “Brink” begins. (The Brink from 2004 to circa 2008 represents the energy industry’s struggle to keep up with rising demand.)
vi)2008 - The “Cliff ” begins. (The Olduvai Cliff from circa 2008 to 2030 correlates with a spreading epidemic of permanent blackouts) and
vii)Circa 2030 - Industrial civilization ends. (From 2030 onward society approaches the agrarian level of existence.)
The most reliable leading indicator of the Olduvain Cliff event, if and when it happens, will be brownouts and rolling blackouts. As a result of permanent blackouts of electric power the industries of all civilized countries would stop working, so that, with millions unemployed and with a total cut in the production of goods, unprecedented and incurable misery would occur, killing perhaps three-quarters of the population, and leaving the rest in a deplorable state. (Thirring, 1956, p. 135). Thus the permanent blackouts will happen one-by-one, region-by-region, and spreading worldwide over time – will be the proximate (direct, immediate) cause of the collapse of industrial civilization.
Thus as per Olduvai Theory and what King Hubbert realized In 1949, the human population could collapse back to “the agrarian level of existence”
“In the end, cockroaches would prove to be more intelligent than humans if humans destroy themselves. Intelligence is really a survival skill for the entire species and that which survives proves intelligent on a species level.”
Millennium Ecosystem Assessment
The Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (MA) is a research program that focuses on ecosystem changes over the course of decades, and projecting those changes into the future. It was launched in 2001 with support from the United Nations by the UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan. It cost 24 million USD.
On March 30, 2005 it released the results of its first four-year study of the use and depredation of a variety of the planet’s natural resources. The initial report warned that the world is degrading its natural resources across the board. “The harmful consequences of this degradation could grow significantly worse in the next 50 years,” it continued.
The assessment demanded that changes be instituted firmly and quickly. It was recognized that, as humanity has the power and ability to prevent the damages to the planet, it is also our duty to do so. One of the most important issues brought up was the effects of environmental damage to the underdeveloped and poor people of the world. The report urged the nations of the world to work harder to achieve a sustainable future.
The bottom line of the MA findings is that human actions are depleting Earth’s natural capital, putting such strain on the environment that the ability of the planet’s ecosystems to sustain future generations can no longer be taken for granted. At the same time, the assessment shows that with appropriate actions it is possible to reverse the degradation of many ecosystem services over the next 50 years, but the changes in policy and practice required are substantial and not currently underway.
Findings
The MA is the most comprehensive survey of the ecological state of the planet. It concludes that the way society has caused irreversible changes that are degrading the ecological processes that support life on Earth. Some findings:
On March 30, 2005 it released the results of its first four-year study of the use and depredation of a variety of the planet’s natural resources. The initial report warned that the world is degrading its natural resources across the board. “The harmful consequences of this degradation could grow significantly worse in the next 50 years,” it continued.
The assessment demanded that changes be instituted firmly and quickly. It was recognized that, as humanity has the power and ability to prevent the damages to the planet, it is also our duty to do so. One of the most important issues brought up was the effects of environmental damage to the underdeveloped and poor people of the world. The report urged the nations of the world to work harder to achieve a sustainable future.
The bottom line of the MA findings is that human actions are depleting Earth’s natural capital, putting such strain on the environment that the ability of the planet’s ecosystems to sustain future generations can no longer be taken for granted. At the same time, the assessment shows that with appropriate actions it is possible to reverse the degradation of many ecosystem services over the next 50 years, but the changes in policy and practice required are substantial and not currently underway.
Findings
The MA is the most comprehensive survey of the ecological state of the planet. It concludes that the way society has caused irreversible changes that are degrading the ecological processes that support life on Earth. Some findings:
“Industrial society seems likely to be entering a period of severe stress, due in part to problems of human behavior and in part to economic and environmental problems”
60% of world ecosystem services have been degraded
Of 24 evaluated ecosystems, 15 are being damaged
About a quarter of the Earth’s land surface is now cultivated.
People now use between 40 percent and 50 percent of all available freshwater running off the land. Water withdrawals has doubled over the past 40 years.
Over a quarter of all fish stocks are overharvested.
Since 1980, about 35 percent of mangroves have been lost
About 20% of corals were lost in just 20 years; 20% degraded
Nutrient pollution has led to eutrophication of waters and coastal dead zones
Species extinction rates are now 100-1,000 times above the background rate
Of 24 evaluated ecosystems, 15 are being damaged
About a quarter of the Earth’s land surface is now cultivated.
People now use between 40 percent and 50 percent of all available freshwater running off the land. Water withdrawals has doubled over the past 40 years.
Over a quarter of all fish stocks are overharvested.
Since 1980, about 35 percent of mangroves have been lost
About 20% of corals were lost in just 20 years; 20% degraded
Nutrient pollution has led to eutrophication of waters and coastal dead zones
Species extinction rates are now 100-1,000 times above the background rate
Collapse vs Planned Demolition
The one way to stop civilization from destroying the world is to bring it down as quickly as possible in a sort of planned demolition, like bringing down a condemned building.
Modern Civilization Is A Disease - Gandhi
Following is an interview of M.K. Gandhi conducted in 1909 and published in the book ‘Hind swaraj’.
Reader: To what do you ascribe this state of England?
Gandhi: It is not due to any peculiar fault of the English people, but the condition is due to modern civilization. It is a civilization only in name. Under it the nations of Europe are becoming degraded and ruined day by day.
Reader: Now you will have to explain what you mean by civilization.
Reader: To what do you ascribe this state of England?
Gandhi: It is not due to any peculiar fault of the English people, but the condition is due to modern civilization. It is a civilization only in name. Under it the nations of Europe are becoming degraded and ruined day by day.
Reader: Now you will have to explain what you mean by civilization.
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Formerly, men worked in the open air only as much as they liked. Now thousands of workmen meet together and for the sake of maintenance work in factories or mines. Their condition is worse than that of beasts. They are obliged to work, at the risk of their lives, at most dangerous occupations, for the sake of millionaires. |
Gandhi: It is not a question of what I mean. Several English writers refuse to call that civilization which passes under that name. Many books have been written upon that subject. Societies have been formed to cure the nation of the evils of civilization. A great English writer has written a work called Civilization: Its Cause and Cure. Therein he has called it a disease.
Reader: Why do we not know this generally?
Gandhi: The answer is very simple. We rarely find people arguing against themselves. Those who are intoxicated by modern civilization are not likely to write against it. Their care will be to find out facts and arguments in support of it, and this they do unconsciously, believing it to be true. A man whilst he is dreaming, believes in his dream. He is undeceived only when he is awakened from his sleep. A man laboring under the bane of civilization is like a dreaming man. What we usually read are the works of defenders of modern civilization, which undoubtedly claims among its votaries very brilliant and even some very good men. Their writings hypnotize us, and so, one by one, we are drawn into the vortex.
Reader: This seems to be very plausible. Now will you tell me something of what you have read and thought of this civilization?
Gandhi: Let us first consider what state of things is described by the word “civilization”. Its true test lies in the fact that people living in it make bodily welfare the object of life. We will take sonic examples. The people of Europe today live in better-build houses than they did a hundred years ago. This is considered an emblem of civilization, and this is also a matter to promote bodily happiness.
Formerly, they wore skins, and used spears as their weapons. Now, they wear long trousers, and for embellishing their bodies, they wear a variety of clothing and instead of spears, they carry with them revolvers containing five or more chambers. If people of a certain country, who have hitherto not been in the habit of wearing much clothing, boots etc., adopt European clothing, they are supposed to have become civilized out of savagery. Formerly in Europe, people ploughed their lands mainly by manual labor. Now one man can plough a vast tract by means of steam engines and can thus amass great wealth. This is called a sign of civilization.
Formerly, only a few men wrote valuable books. Now anybody writes and prints anything he likes and poisons people’s minds. Formerly, men traveled in wagons. Now, they fly through the air in trains at the rate of four hundred and more miles per day. This is considered the height of civilization. It has been stated that, as men progress, they shall be able to travel in airship and reach any part, of the world in a few hours. Men will not need the use of their hands and feet. They will press a button, and they will have their clothing by their side. They will press another button, and they will have their newspaper. A third, and a motorcar will be in waiting for them. They will have a variety of delicately dished up food. Everything will be done by machinery.
Formerly, when people wanted to fight with one another, they measured between them their bodily strength; now it is possible to take away thousands of lives by one man working behind a gun from a hill. This is civilization. Formerly, men were made slaves under physical compulsion. Now they are enslaved by temptation of money and of the luxuries that money can buy. There are now diseases of which people never dreamt before, and an army of doctors is engaged in finding out their cures and so hospitals have increased. This is a test of civilization.
Reader: Why do we not know this generally?
Gandhi: The answer is very simple. We rarely find people arguing against themselves. Those who are intoxicated by modern civilization are not likely to write against it. Their care will be to find out facts and arguments in support of it, and this they do unconsciously, believing it to be true. A man whilst he is dreaming, believes in his dream. He is undeceived only when he is awakened from his sleep. A man laboring under the bane of civilization is like a dreaming man. What we usually read are the works of defenders of modern civilization, which undoubtedly claims among its votaries very brilliant and even some very good men. Their writings hypnotize us, and so, one by one, we are drawn into the vortex.
Reader: This seems to be very plausible. Now will you tell me something of what you have read and thought of this civilization?
Gandhi: Let us first consider what state of things is described by the word “civilization”. Its true test lies in the fact that people living in it make bodily welfare the object of life. We will take sonic examples. The people of Europe today live in better-build houses than they did a hundred years ago. This is considered an emblem of civilization, and this is also a matter to promote bodily happiness.
Formerly, they wore skins, and used spears as their weapons. Now, they wear long trousers, and for embellishing their bodies, they wear a variety of clothing and instead of spears, they carry with them revolvers containing five or more chambers. If people of a certain country, who have hitherto not been in the habit of wearing much clothing, boots etc., adopt European clothing, they are supposed to have become civilized out of savagery. Formerly in Europe, people ploughed their lands mainly by manual labor. Now one man can plough a vast tract by means of steam engines and can thus amass great wealth. This is called a sign of civilization.
Formerly, only a few men wrote valuable books. Now anybody writes and prints anything he likes and poisons people’s minds. Formerly, men traveled in wagons. Now, they fly through the air in trains at the rate of four hundred and more miles per day. This is considered the height of civilization. It has been stated that, as men progress, they shall be able to travel in airship and reach any part, of the world in a few hours. Men will not need the use of their hands and feet. They will press a button, and they will have their clothing by their side. They will press another button, and they will have their newspaper. A third, and a motorcar will be in waiting for them. They will have a variety of delicately dished up food. Everything will be done by machinery.
Formerly, when people wanted to fight with one another, they measured between them their bodily strength; now it is possible to take away thousands of lives by one man working behind a gun from a hill. This is civilization. Formerly, men were made slaves under physical compulsion. Now they are enslaved by temptation of money and of the luxuries that money can buy. There are now diseases of which people never dreamt before, and an army of doctors is engaged in finding out their cures and so hospitals have increased. This is a test of civilization.
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Gandhi wanted it ... Village organization. He started that Wardha Ashram. But you have rejected. What Gandhi can do? That was good proposal -- to remain satisfied in one's own place. That was Gandhi's proposal. That "Don't go to the city, town, for so-called better advantage of life. Remain in your own home, produce your food, and be satisfied there." That was Gandhi's policy. The economic problem he wanted to solve by keeping cows, by agriculture, by spinning thread. "You want food, shelter and cloth? Produce here, and remain here. Don't be allured by the capitalists and go to cities and engage in industries." But Jawaharlal Nehru wanted, overnight, to Americanize the whole India. That is the folly. |
Formerly, people had two or three meals consisting of homemade bread and vegetables; now, they require something to eat every two hours so that they have hardly leisure for anything else. What more need I say’? All this you can ascertain from several authoritative books. These are all true tests of civilization. And if anyone speaks to the contrary, know that he is ignorant. This civilization takes note neither of morality nor of religion. Its votaries calmly state that their business is not to teach religion. Some even consider it to be a superstitious growth. Others put on the cloak of religion, and prate about morality. But after twenty years’ experience, I have come to the conclusion that immorality is often taught in the name of morality. Even a child can understand that in all I have described above there can be no inducement to morality.
Civilization seeks to increase bodily comforts, and it fails miserably even in doing so. This civilization is irreligion, and it has taken such a hold on the people in Europe that those who are in it appear to be half mad.
They lack real physical strength or courage. They keep up their energy by intoxication. They can hardly be happy in solitude. Women, who should be the queens of households, wander in the streets or they slave away in factories. For the sake of a pittance, half a million women in England alone are laboring under trying circumstances in factories or similar institutions. This awful act is one of the causes of the daily growing suffragette movement.
Civilization seeks to increase bodily comforts, and it fails miserably even in doing so. This civilization is irreligion, and it has taken such a hold on the people in Europe that those who are in it appear to be half mad.
They lack real physical strength or courage. They keep up their energy by intoxication. They can hardly be happy in solitude. Women, who should be the queens of households, wander in the streets or they slave away in factories. For the sake of a pittance, half a million women in England alone are laboring under trying circumstances in factories or similar institutions. This awful act is one of the causes of the daily growing suffragette movement.
This civilization is such that one has only to be patient and it will be self-destroyed.
-Gandhi
This civilization is such that one has only to be patient and it will be self-destroyed. According to the teaching of Mohammed this would be considered a Satanic Civilization. Hinduism calls it a Black Age. I cannot give you an adequate conception of it. It is eating into the vitals of the English nation. It must be shunned. Parliaments are really emblems of slavery. If you will sufficiently think over this, you will entertain the same opinion and cease to to blame the English. They rather deserve our sympathy. They are a shrewd nation and I therefore believe that they will cast off the evil.They are enterprising and industrious, and their mode of thought is not inherently immoral. Neither are they bad at heart. I therefore respect them. Civilization is not an incurable disease, but it should never be forgotten that the English are at present afflicted by it.
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In short, industrialism is over. |
