Dr. Eric J. Fielding, PhD5d ago
AnnaAnthro

‘Self-termination is most likely’: the history and future of societal collapse - Book review

“[Kemp] also points out that for the citizens of early rapacious regimes, collapse often improved their lives because they were freed from domination and taxation and returned to farming.

“After the fall of Rome, people actually got taller and healthier,” he says.”

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/aug/02/self-termination-history-and-future-of-societal-collapse

‘Self-termination is most likely’: the history and future of societal collapse

An epic analysis of 5,000 years of civilisation argues that a global collapse is coming unless inequality is vanquished

The Guardian
Aug 2 at 11:36amWeb
Show threadJonChevreau5d ago
@AnnaAnthro Key para is the one about Trump, Putin and Xi representing the triad: narcissism, psychopathy and Machiavelli
Show threadDan Neuman 🇨🇦5d ago
@AnnaAnthro I'll let the kids know they can become farmers.
Show threadRachel Greenham5d ago
@dan613 @AnnaAnthro yeah, that point is made later in the article and presumably the book: it worked then because they could go from farmers with an overlord to farmers without. Harder now, lost skills, no space to flee to, etc.
Show threadDan Neuman 🇨🇦5d ago
@StrangeNoises @AnnaAnthro Yeah, not realistic for most of us today. I did, however, ask my spouse if her farming cousins need farmhands.