zensui wrote:Seriously, we go through growth-decay cyclic processes... and use our "superior mind" to innovate our way out of the mess we created. This is evident in human nature; greed, anger, lust, anxiety, envy, and other negative-karma producing actions. Are they really good for our survival? I'm sure they are NOT, more than not being "evil" it is about surviving in a more efficient way through evolution of mind instead of extinction or instead of continue devolving into a pathetic and destructive specie that always "lives by de edge of the sword". This is insane! TFSHTF is just the biggest "way downward" that our specie have experienced. I chose to use this as a way to learn from past negative karma that created our crap-filled world (which, according to rebirth I'm actually "guilty of").
Sorry, for a second I thought that read "Dan Quayle"Ludi wrote:Zensui, I recommend you read the writings of Daniel Quinn...
BigTex wrote: BECAUSE WE'VE ALIENATED OURSELVES FROM THE WORLD WE ARE DESIGNED TO INHABIT!!!
It's like a lion in a zoo wondering why he's depressed.
steam_cannon wrote:Sorry, for a second I thought that read "Dan Quayle"Ludi wrote:Zensui, I recommend you read the writings of Daniel Quinn...
"People that are really very weird can get into sensitive positions and
have a tremendous impact on history." - Dan Quayle
http://www.quotationspage.com/quotes/Dan_Quayle/
efarmer wrote:"Taste the sizzling fury of fajita skillet death you marauding zombie goon!"
RedStateGreen wrote:Other than a warm bed and hot showers, civilization doesn't have much going for it.
Localized ecological systems are known to shift abruptly and irreversibly from one state to another when they are forced across critical thresholds. Here we review evidence that the global ecosystem as a whole can react in the same way and is approaching a planetary-scale critical transition as a result of human influence. The plausibility of a planetary-scale ‘tipping point’ highlights the need to improve biological forecasting by detecting early warning signs of critical transitions on global as well as local scales, and by detecting feedbacks that promote such transitions. It is also necessary to address root causes of how humans are forcing biological changes.
Basics of state shift theory
It is now well documented that biological systems on many scales can
shift rapidly from an existing state to a radically different state12.
Biological ‘states’ are neither steady nor in equilibrium; rather, they
are characterized by a defined range of deviations from a mean con-
dition over a prescribed period of time. The shift from one state to
another can be caused by either a ‘threshold’ or ‘sledgehammer’ effect.
State shifts resulting from threshold effects can be difficult to anticipate,
because the critical threshold is reached as incremental changes accu-
mulate and the threshold value generally is not known in advance. By
contrast, a state shift caused by a sledgehammer effect—for example the
clearing of a forest using a bulldozer—comes as no surprise. In both
cases, the state shift is relatively abrupt and leads to new mean condi-
tions outside the range of fluctuation evident in the previous state.
Threshold-induced state shifts, or critical transitions, can result from
‘fold bifurcations’ and can show hysteresis12. The net effect is that once a
critical transition occurs, it is extremely difficult or even impossible for
the system to return to its previous state. Critical transitions can also
result from more complex bifurcations, which have a different character
from fold bifurcations but which also lead to irreversible changes20.
Recent theoretical work suggests that state shifts due to fold bifurca-
tions are probably preceded by general phenomena that can be char-
acterized mathematically: a deceleration in recovery from perturbations
(‘critical slowing down’), an increase in variance in the pattern of within-
state fluctuations, an increase in autocorrelation between fluctuations,
an increase in asymmetry of fluctuations and rapid back-and-forth shifts
(‘flickering’) between states12,14,18. These phenomena can theoretically be assessed within any temporally and spatially bounded system. Although
such assessment is not yet straightforward12,18,20, critical transitions and
in some cases their warning signs have become evident in diverse bio-
logical investigations21, for example in assessing the dynamics of disease
outbreaks22,23, populations14 and lake ecosystems12,13. Impending state
shifts can also sometimes be determined by parameterizing relatively
simple models20,21.
In the context of forecasting biological change, the realization that
critical transitions and state shifts can occur on the global scale3,12,15–18, as
well as on smaller scales, is of great importance. One key question is how
to recognize a global-scale state shift. Another is whether global-scale
state shifts are the cumulative result of many smaller-scale events that
originate in local systems or instead require global-level forcings that
emerge on the planetary scale and then percolate downwards to cause
changes in local systems. Examining past global-scale state shifts pro-
vides useful insights into both of these issues.
dohboi wrote:The fact of the matter is that the whole globe is in the midst of a climatic state shift. We have just seen the faintest hint of it this spring and summer. The next five, and certainly ten, years will see nearly the entire globe go into a dramatically different state.
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