2001: Global warming and modernity Mark Jones ; and on Heiddeger

https://www.mail-archive.com/crashlist@lists.wwpublish.com/msg02984.html [CrashList] Global warming and modernity Mark Jones ; and on Heiddeger Thu, 15 Mar 2001 20:04:53 -0800 Milton Takei wrote: > philosopher Martin Heidegger says that the essence of > modern technology shows itself in the tendency to perceive things as > "standing reserve," a mere resource to be used. He says that humans can > be reduced to standing reserve. Milton, I'm glad you mentioned Heidegger, who was one of the few philosophers of the previous century who understood the illusionary nature of the concept of 'resources', which in fact are constituted by irrecoverable ecological ruptures and losses. There is no free lunch. Whatever we use, we pay for, and in nature leverage is always the reverse of optimal. Any concept of socialism which is based on the so-called 'exploitation of natural resources' is certain to be just another short-cut to disaster. Heidegger enjoys a deserved reputation for being a closet Nazi, but this should not blind us to the real importance of his central, if ignored, message. Mark