Whither political leanings?

[Malthus]

Rosseau wasn't a collectivist though, he was utopian.

I would give you a substantial ration of shit about this, but you make people type too much in response, and I hate that about you.

it's a debatable point, sure. Contrat social is not a model of clarity.  But IMO Emile is the key to understanding him.

see just 22 words.

You haven't seen how much he has to type in response yet. 

[Razgovory]

Major things: Stuff that might affect Marty.  Minor things: Things that probably won't.

Yes, catering for gay weddings does not affect me, but reduced opportunities for advancement for poor white kids do. Well done, Raz. You got me.

You mean the ones you dismissively call "the poors" and "Crotch fruit"?

[Martinus]

Major things: Stuff that might affect Marty.  Minor things: Things that probably won't.

Yes, catering for gay weddings does not affect me, but reduced opportunities for advancement for poor white kids do. Well done, Raz. You got me.

You mean the ones you dismissively call "the poors" and "Crotch fruit"?

Does anyone know what he is talking about?

[Valmy]

But Raz being crotch fruit unites all of humanity!

Well most of humanity. I am sure there are a few unique snowflakes out there.

[Razgovory]

Major things: Stuff that might affect Marty.  Minor things: Things that probably won't.

Yes, catering for gay weddings does not affect me, but reduced opportunities for advancement for poor white kids do. Well done, Raz. You got me.

You mean the ones you dismissively call "the poors" and "Crotch fruit"?

Does anyone know what he is talking about?

Previous statements you have made.  You have demonstrated contempt for the poor, children, women who have children etc. 

[Hamilcar]

Previous statements you have made.  You have demonstrated contempt for the poor, children, women who have children etc.

To be fair, having children is terrible for the environment.

[Valmy]

To be fair, having children is terrible for the environment.

So is genocide then great for it? ISIS environmentalists of the year?

[Hamilcar]

To be fair, having children is terrible for the environment.

So is genocide then great for it? ISIS environmentalists of the year?

No action needed: as humanity gets wealthier and longevity increases, humans have fewer and fewer children.

[Valmy]

No action needed: as humanity gets wealthier and longevity increases, humans have fewer and fewer children.

Just playing with you

But yeah birth rates are going down everywhere. As I said almost every real indicator shows that the future will be better than the past.

[Sheilbh]

Except for the climate....Probably....

Edit: Also I was speaking to someone who works in development when I was in the pub last night and she was saying one of the real issues that's emerging now is the effect of automation in terms of developing countries. The way to industrialise classically was, apparently: textiles - children's toys - high-end manufacturing (parts, cars, etc.). That last category is normally the key stage to developing beyond mass industry because of all the ancillary jobs that go with it.and the manufacturing jobs themselves are far higher skilled.

However a lot of those level of manufacturing jobs are increasingly automated which means for countries like Bangladesh for example they made it to stage one or two of industrialisation - the sweat shop stage - but it's not necessarily clear that there's a route to the next stage especially compared with China, for example, which started on this road about forty years before Bangladesh. It's even more pronounced in countries in Africa which are trying to develop.

It's not clear how those countries will develop in the future, or if they can, because if they do it will be on an entirely different model than the past 200 years of industrialisation leading to development. One possible exception is the path of reasonably well-educated English speaking countries (India, Nigeria, Ghana) which have simultaneously developed some industry but also a service economy aimed at the developing English speaking world.

[Valmy]

Except for the climate....Probably....

Yes but CO2 emissions are going down everywhere (except India but I think this will reverse eventually). So even if there is a problem it is one we are addressing. The climate should stabilize and we will adjust to whatever the new normal is.

I mean it is a little hard to believe we were ever going to reverse the engineering priorities of 200 years very quickly.

[Ed Anger]

To be fair, having children is terrible for the environment.

So is genocide then great for it? ISIS environmentalists of the year?

No action needed: as humanity gets wealthier and longevity increases, humans have fewer and fewer children.

Not me.

[Valmy]

Not me.

Like Ghenghis Khan in Asia, the US will one day be populated exclusively by descendants of Ed.

[Ed Anger]

Not me.

Like Ghenghis Khan in Asia, the US will one day be populated exclusively by descendants of Ed.

The buckeye-Hoosier branch, the Franco-buckeye branch......

[The Brain]

Eeeeeeeeeeed!!!!!