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Of course it's a fantasy. But it does have some non-fantastical aspects: doing away with planned obsolescence, using technology to reduce waste and increase recreational time, changes to the social support, education and health systems to promote wellbeing instead of simply churning out workers and taxpayers, properly accounting for natural resources, reducing individual ownership etc. These are all things that could be put in place either entirely or in part without resorting to some sort of eco-dictatorship ruled by computer models and big data.
What's the difference between this and the pre-agricultural hunter-gatherer world?
That's a bad thing? There's a huge body of research which suggests that hunter gatherer societies were some of the most successful, peaceful and contented societies to have ever existed. Still, if you prefer the crime, pollution, stress, inequality, immorality and corruption of the current system then you probably have a point.
Dazh I think you are being overly cynical when considering the current system. For example, I don't think planned obselescence is the norm or even widespread. And there are already a lot of people working towards the goals you mention.
That's a bad thing?
YES!
I would not want to live in hunter gatherer times. Mainly because of the lack of opportunity to be anything other than a hunter or a gatherer, or do anything other than hunt or gather. But also because almost everything that enriches our lives - access to progressive literature, art, music, and just about every life experience that I value comes from the fact that people invented a system of tokens to exchange in lieu of services - ie money.
Money in its basic form allows me to specialize in a trade or skill, and get good at it. Something that is not related to food production, but I can still eat because I can exchange my services or products for tokens that I can then exchange for food. This means I can get good at making things, inventing internets, playing music, inventing antibiotics etc etc.
And in spite of all that I still have the choice - I can go and live in the wild if I want - I am just not forced to.
Never mind women's liberation - what about everyone's liberation?
Still, if you prefer the crime, pollution, stress, inequality, immorality and corruption
I've never seen such rose tinted specs. Crime? What about when the neighbouring tribe marched over and slaughtered all our women and kids and nicked our cattle? Was that not a crime?
What's the difference between this and the pre-agricultural hunter-gatherer world?
Pretty much everything?
YES!
You're being silly now. I wasn't suggesting for a second that we take society back to the stone age, I too wouldn't want that for obvious reasons. I was pointing out, in an admittedly obtuse way, that the similarities between a system based on equality in a modern, technological resource based economy and hunter gatherer societies would appear to be those of happiness, contentment and peace borne from a cooperative and collective outlook on life rather than a narrow focus on individual gain.
What about when the neighbouring tribe marched over and slaughtered all our women and kids and nicked our cattle?
That happens today on an industrial scale. You just happen to be on the right side of the fence. Amusing that you conveniently ignore this yet accuse me of wearing rose tinted specs 🙂