Too much magic and too little understanding.

[Denis Frith]

James Kunstler in his 2012 book, 'Too Much Magic', provides sound  insight into past, present and likely future developments in his country, the USA. He argues that the impact of the love affair with the automobile and the consequences of the growth of suburbia has created an unsustainable process that is now leading to a major predicamne as the power of oil to sustain this life style declines. He provides evidence of the malfeasance caused by the belief (and in many cases the manipulataions of the financial market) in the flow of money. He provides sound argument that the well off in American society have in recent times had an unfounded belief in American magic.

Ironically, while he realistically touches on many aspects of what has gone wrong, he does not describe the two fundamental physical principles that constrain the operation of industrialized civilization. He mentions the signifcant impact of oil without noting that is only one of about ninety natural material resources that are being irreversibly used up. He comments on the growth of suburbia without commenting on how all forms of infrastructure are made of irreplaceable material and require energy and materials for their operation and maintenance during the limited lifetime.

While Kunstler provides a prescient of what lies ahead in the USA (and other developed and developing countries), he does nto back that up with understanding of the fundamental physical principles.

 

Denis Frith