Posted: Wed 25 May 2005, 09:03:00
Again, in case it got lost in all the text here....
The reason the Easter Island analogy is applicable is that Easter Island was extremely remote, and completely cut off from the rest of polynesian civilization. It was a complete little "biosphere" all it's own whose residents had no contact with the rest of the world. Very much like Earth is isolated.
All the other islands that didn't suffer similar collapse were not isolated. That's exactly why they didn't collapse.
The reason the Easter Island analogy is applicable is that Easter Island was extremely remote, and completely cut off from the rest of polynesian civilization. It was a complete little "biosphere" all it's own whose residents had no contact with the rest of the world. Very much like Earth is isolated.
All the other islands that didn't suffer similar collapse were not isolated. That's exactly why they didn't collapse.