Yes, Mr. Trump keeps stooping to lower and lower lows. This particular low seems especially salient. The free world has reacted with disgust; the foreign minister for the EU declared that the free world must find a new leader. America can no longer be trusted.
There remains a ray of hope in the possibility of America repudiating Mr. Trump. Perhaps Mr. Trump's attack on the government will trigger some catastrophe that will shake Americans out of their indolence and Republicans will find the backbone to stop him. That's not likely. Perhaps the Democrats will sweep the 2026 midterms and impeach Mr. Trump. Somewhat more likely, but still not a bright ray of hope. Perhaps a confrontation with the Supreme Court will trigger a constitutional crisis that will trigger Mr. Trump's removal from power. Perhaps in 2028 Americans will turn decisively away from Republicans. Perhaps, perhaps, perhaps.
The fundamental problem remains: our civilization has grown too complex for citizens to understand. Few understand economics sufficiently to understand matters like tariffs, free trade, and balance of payments. Few understand science well enough to cope with climate change or anti-vaxxers. Few Americans understand how their government operates. This is why conspiracy thinking has flourished. It is a secular religion, replacing all-powerful invisible gods with all-powerful invisible conspirators.
Our civilization has grown too powerful and too complex for its citizens to grasp; they are unable to cope with the complex challenges we face. The collapse of civilization is the inevitable result. I began publishing this thesis about ten years ago, but I underestimated the speed with which the collapse would unfold; I figured that it would come "before the end of this century". Now it appears that my prediction was perhaps 50 years too late.
Yes, Mr. Trump keeps stooping to lower and lower lows. This particular low seems especially salient. The free world has reacted with disgust; the foreign minister for the EU declared that the free world must find a new leader. America can no longer be trusted.
There remains a ray of hope in the possibility of America repudiating Mr. Trump. Perhaps Mr. Trump's attack on the government will trigger some catastrophe that will shake Americans out of their indolence and Republicans will find the backbone to stop him. That's not likely. Perhaps the Democrats will sweep the 2026 midterms and impeach Mr. Trump. Somewhat more likely, but still not a bright ray of hope. Perhaps a confrontation with the Supreme Court will trigger a constitutional crisis that will trigger Mr. Trump's removal from power. Perhaps in 2028 Americans will turn decisively away from Republicans. Perhaps, perhaps, perhaps.
The fundamental problem remains: our civilization has grown too complex for citizens to understand. Few understand economics sufficiently to understand matters like tariffs, free trade, and balance of payments. Few understand science well enough to cope with climate change or anti-vaxxers. Few Americans understand how their government operates. This is why conspiracy thinking has flourished. It is a secular religion, replacing all-powerful invisible gods with all-powerful invisible conspirators.
Our civilization has grown too powerful and too complex for its citizens to grasp; they are unable to cope with the complex challenges we face. The collapse of civilization is the inevitable result. I began publishing this thesis about ten years ago, but I underestimated the speed with which the collapse would unfold; I figured that it would come "before the end of this century". Now it appears that my prediction was perhaps 50 years too late.
It is terrible that democracy has to fail to appreciate its absence.