We still fund weapons over survival

POLITICAL LEADERS, especially of the democratic variety, often criticized because they can’t look beyond the next election. The major exception to this unfortunate pattern is “national security,” which is always defined in terms of comparative military capabilities and is always devastatingly expensive. As the unfortunate AUKUS project It reminds us that the exception does not inspire confidence in the rule.

But what if instead of looking forward, we look back for inspiration? Having a stronger understanding of the context in which our collective destiny unfolds can provide a useful reminder of the nature of nature and the material challenges we face.

There’s no need to go back to the Big Bang some 14 billion years ago for this to be an interesting and illuminating study, but as unsolved mysteries remain, it’s still a stunner. I don’t expect our Prime Minister to explain what caused the Big Bang or why we are part of a seemingly still dormant universe. Expanding at a speed of 73 kilometers per second. But it’s worth knowing that by the time you finish reading this we will have all traveled approximately 20,000 kilometers. It puts the daily commute into perspective.

Our leaders will understandably be more interested in recent history, but as Einstein famously pointed out, time is somewhat relative. However, the time period that is important for us is “only” 3-4 billion years ago, when life began on Earth. Human ancestors began to appear about seven million years ago, but the development of agriculture and “civilization” began incredibly recently: only 1,200 years ago.

Our development as Earth’s dominant life form has accelerated since then. Since we became conscious and could think, there was no stopping us. expanding at the same pace human population Whether it should be considered a measure of our success as a species or an indicator of the limits of our ability to act collectively in an environmentally and even politically sustainable way is another question; but it’s not as frequently asked a question as we’d hope or expect.

What we can say is that some of the most profound historical changes shaping contemporary reality are not the carefully considered product of enlightened leadership. On the contrary, rise The development of nation states, the development of capitalism, and the industrial revolution have been the product of experimentation and the evolution of patterns of social behavior that favor some outcomes over others.

The question that arises from the sense of our remarkable, shared and collectively determined past is: Are we in a better position than we were in the past to consciously shape a sustainable future for future generations?

The evidence is not encouraging. Exhibit A is our collective failure to stop killing other people who look or act differently, who have things we want, or who have different beliefs about the origins of the universe and the possible point of human existence in the future.

There is no doubt that it has always been this way. Suffering seems to be part of the human experience, and as Keynes reminds us, in the long run we are all dead. But there were still relatively uninterrupted periods of relative peace and prosperity, especially in places like Australia. That’s right, it could be as much as them product of chance This may be considered an accurate assessment, but they suggest that progress is possible and not just material diversification.

still exist they are optimists Those who think it’s still possible Barak Obama With that famous suggestion, we should stop doing stupid things. Perhaps I am extremely naive, but spending less on arms and more on mitigating global climate change would be an obvious place for us to reconsider our priorities, all else being equal.

Unfortunately, everything is notoriously unequal. Wealth isn’t just increasing concentratedbut so is the capacity to do so. elections will define our collective future. For example, investment in artificial intelligence exceed US$2 trillion (AU$2.8 trillion) by 2026. Not only will that money not be able to be used for other things, but data centers will likely double electricity demand wherever they pop up.

But given that artificial intelligence will most likely smarter Perhaps sooner than we do, he will understand both the historical path that led to his creation and the difficult situation of the natural and economic environment of which he has become such a remarkable part. Maybe it will also figure out ‘how to save the planet’. Who knows, maybe it’s artificial intelligence next step in a long evolutionary process.

Whatever the answer to such questions, history shows that humankind is unlikely to find a carefully considered, future-oriented collective response to a rapidly changing world. In this context, the most important historical change is an unprecedented development. capacity tearing ourselves apart, either accidentally or deliberately.

Maybe artificial intelligence will solve this too. Let’s hope he doesn’t think we’re a recurring problem that needs to be eliminated. Either way, don’t worry: The universe, of which we are an extremely small part, will continue to expand without us.

Mark Beeson is an adjunct professor at the University of Technology Sydney and Griffith University. He was previously Professor of International Politics at the University of Western Australia.

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