The Oil Drum

Thanks Chris (and Julian)
Im traveling again so this will likely be my only reply here.

The Irish Elk was used as an example because runaway sexual selection over hundreds of thousands of years ill prepared them for the resource change that occurred in the Younger Dryas cooling period 10-15,000 years ago. Since forage density declined, they couldn't obtain the nutrients they had become accustomed to during the warmer climate which were required to support such a large antler mass, so their bodies had to leach phosphorous and calcium from their bones - all to keep the horns big - thats the leading theory on why they died off. Humans too have been selected at being good at acquiring resources, and via sexual selection, moving up the mating ladder with conspicuous consumption being the current 'antlers'. And now we too, are going to be facing a time of 'environmental' change.

Fortunately we have something the elk did not. A huge forebrain of intellect, and culture, which can move faster than genes. But as the writer points out, via hedonic adaptation (and often addiction) we quickly habituate to new stimuli and need newer stimuli to feel the same 'rush', etc. This results in bigger and bigger antlers. We also are figuring out that we are not happier with 'more' (larger antlers), but ARE happier with more social interactions, community etc. Thus we cannot change our evolutionary wiring to want 'more' - we can only change how we define or perceive 'more'. So the 64,000 barrel question is how can we discard our 4 meter antlers (conspicuous consumption) that are requiring all our nutrients (oil, water, ecosystems etc)? Any answers will likely originate from individually and tribally selfish reasons (making changes because it improves ones own life or ones 'group', which is usually quite small in number). Knowing this is a huge advantage

After a few years of various gradients of fear/apprehension of upcoming dislocations, I now view Peak Oil almost as a gift - as it will force us to take a hard look at the social traps that are spinning and getting larger but not really getting too far (see Genuine Progress Indicator).

I do plan to write on this when I get back from mushroom hunting. (I'll be wearing camo so as not to scare them..;)