IT CAN'T HAPPEN HERE BECAUSE .....
"maybe I should have been paying closer attention"
by JON CARROLL, San Francisco Chronicle

Jared Diamond's new book "Collapse" is an effort to understand why some societies fail and others do not. He identifies five major areas of concern: climate change, hostile neighbors, friendly trading partners, environmental damage, and the response of the culture to environmental damage.

Some cultures adapt well to change, others do not. Some cultures have functioning decision-making processes; others do not. The example of Easter Island is instructive. The people of the island built those amazing stone statues, and in the process cut down every last tree. No trees, no wood for houses and fires; no protection from erosion; no useful species, and so on.

What was the person thinking who cut down the last tree? We don't know, but whatever it was, it was based on faulty assumptions and flawed reasoning.

According to Diamond, one of the things that leads to faulty assumptions and flawed reasoning is the isolation of the elite.

Full story here.