Back to the Caves! er...Farms!

Hey,

So my most recent reading material has been: Better Off: Flipping the Switch on Technology by Eric Brende. This being part of my "how might life look without ready access to oil?" research.

The short answer is: We're all better off with the most minimal of technology. Work is good for body and soul. Cars and other mechanical devices tend to enslave rather than empower. Freaky Amish/Mennonites may have wonky spiritual beliefs, but they're probably better people than us becuase they've avoided modern technology.

It was short of practicals, and more of a cheerleading section for 18th Century lifestyles. The one thing that rather bothered me about the entire affair is that the author and his wife have two children...mainly because they don't bother with contraception in any real format (preferring to let pregnancy/breastfeeding space out the children). This seems really stupid to me.

I suppose in a post-oil situation, having lots of labor on hand to help with the farm is a goood thing, but that just means more mouths to feed and can that really be supported. How can you balance the need for a steady, healthy workforce and local carrying capacity? Also, this might have some chilling implications for women's rights. Amish/Mennonite life has strongly defined gender roles, but it's not quite the same thing as gender inequality -- the sexes aren't equal, but they do have their own important spheres of influence. Societies in transition/crisis might not even rise to that level.

I think how well American ideals of equality and social justice survive in a harsher environment might be a daring but important aspect of the game for people to explore.

later
Tom

Back to the Caves! er...Farms!

Hey,

So my most recent reading material has been: Better Off: Flipping the Switch on Technology by Eric Brende. This being part of my "how might life look without ready access to oil?" research.

The short answer is: We're all better off with the most minimal of technology. Work is good for body and soul. Cars and other mechanical devices tend to enslave rather than empower. Freaky Amish/Mennonites may have wonky spiritual beliefs, but they're probably better people than us becuase they've avoided modern technology.

It was short of practicals, and more of a cheerleading section for 18th Century lifestyles. The one thing that rather bothered me about the entire affair is that the author and his wife have two children...mainly because they don't bother with contraception in any real format (preferring to let pregnancy/breastfeeding space out the children). This seems really stupid to me.

I suppose in a post-oil situation, having lots of labor on hand to help with the farm is a goood thing, but that just means more mouths to feed and can that really be supported. How can you balance the need for a steady, healthy workforce and local carrying capacity? Also, this might have some chilling implications for women's rights. Amish/Mennonite life has strongly defined gender roles, but it's not quite the same thing as gender inequality -- the sexes aren't equal, but they do have their own important spheres of influence. Societies in transition/crisis might not even rise to that level.

I think how well American ideals of equality and social justice survive in a harsher environment might be a daring but important aspect of the game for people to explore.

later
Tom