It's easy to imagine the end of the world as we know it brought about by war, technology, disease, or climate change. But such external impulses are not necessary for civilization to collapse and technology to greatly regress. Such collapses have occurred in the past for purely internal, 'social' reasons. We should remember these events and make them emotionally salient when considering future possibilities.
I will focus on the two biggest and best-known recent European 'falls of civilization': one at the end of the Western Roman Empire (4th-5th centuries), another at the end of the Bronze Age (12th c. BC), and briefly mention some others. I will not dwell on their causes (this requires a much longer discussion), but will try to describe what is agreed to have resulted.
LessWrong Israel holds "Pub Nights" and "Game Nights" most Tuesdays. You can follow them here.
On Dec. 18, LessWrong Israel presents Daniel Armak on civilizational collapse at Google, 98 Yigal Alon, Floor 27 (not "Google Campus"), Tel Aviv.
Get together at 19:00, start at 19:30.
Abstract:
It's easy to imagine the end of the world as we know it brought about by war, technology, disease, or climate change. But such external impulses are not necessary for civilization to collapse and technology to greatly regress. Such collapses have occurred in the past for purely internal, 'social' reasons. We should remember these events and make them emotionally salient when considering future possibilities.
I will focus on the two biggest and best-known recent European 'falls of civilization': one at the end of the Western Roman Empire (4th-5th centuries), another at the end of the Bronze Age (12th c. BC), and briefly mention some others. I will not dwell on their causes (this requires a much longer discussion), but will try to describe what is agreed to have resulted.
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