Electric Energy Addiction

[d'Altariva]

ELECTRIC ENERGY ADDICTION

Risk of Epilogue: what should we do?

 

Nowadays people are addicted to drugs, alchool and tobacco, but all of these kind of addiction are not so diffused as the electric energy addiction: the great majority (some 90%) thinks that the use of electricity makes life easier... isn't this approach like the junkies' one? Well, it is extremely similar, in fact the only difference between electricity and drugs is that the first is deemed legal and Governments improve on it, and the second are banned by the same Governments.

 

This article doesn't ask Governments to consider Drugs as legal substances, nor to ban the use of electric energy, but to make people reflect on the current lifestyle: our community is based on the use of electricity in almost all areas, the current studies are concerned in finding new ways to produce this kind of energy (just think about studies on renewable energies), but if all these efforts come less, what will happen to us?

 

Probably this is a distant future risk, but...

 

Without the possibility of using electricity, people, realizing that their life depends on it, will begin to fear the worst, will become unsure of their own abilities: this will make us fall into a crisis of apocalyptic proportions. The Technique will make us fall into oblivion: our ignorance and our stubbornness will lead us to this epilogue.

 

So, what should we do? Well, we are at a crossroads that needs deep reflection... the choices are mainly two: first, we can remain in the current situation (studying new methods to survive); second, we can engage in research of new types of energy. This second way is more difficult than the first one but, in sight of the Epilogue, we cannot permit the Technique to overwhelm us: surely, looking for completely different types of energy than electricity, is something enormous but, if we want to survive, the choice of searching for other kinds of energy is the best one.

 

d'Altariva

Edited November 16, 2011 by d'Altariva

[Phi for All]

First, I don't understand why this is an ethical position. Our need for energy to power our lives can't really be compared to drug addiction, unless you're suggesting we would be better off living only on the energy we produce from our own bodies and possibly those of animals. Horse and buggy, really?

 

Second, electricity is a very practical way to bring energy to our society. Even if you develop alternatives to oil, coal and nuclear, you still have to turn the alternative energy into something that can be used by the masses. Geothermal or wind still needs conversion to electricity to be practical. We can heat with natural gas but you still need electricity to power the blowers that push the heat throughout your home.

 

Third, I think the idea that we're at a crossroads regarding electricity is a false dilemma. We can find ways to create electricity that don't pollute as much as fossil fuels or hydro-electric dams, such as space-based solar. Electricity is not the enemy.

[mississippichem]

This discussion would be difficult to have without electricity.

 

Mail me a reply by horse, courier, and wooden ship. I'll get back to you sometime In the next six months.

[d'Altariva]

I'm not marking electricity as a "bad idea", because of some details you underlined and emphasized: my reflection was directed to specify that basing life only on a cetrain "essence" could be a strong chain to our life, in fact (and there is the ethical meaning of this discussion) a person who lives only on A or B may be not able to have a complete and pure relationship with the universality of Life, or better, may be impossibilitated to give a coerent interpretation about some arguments.

(My thought about electricity addiction was related to the fact that is not a problem of ways of producing electric energy, but that it may be useful to foresee and search different "type" of energy (I'm not a scientist so I cannot give you a specific answer about "what" energy we must consider).