rapidly losing access to the biome that supports the enormous increase in humans that gave us the brain power to innovate our way out of the last dark age.

the last dark age only happened in europe. most of the world was actually thriving at this time. sad it didn't last a little longer actually. would have been really interesting to see a globalized world where europe is left out until late in the game. i would suggest that western culture causes dark ages, that's what we've been living for the last 500 years or so. almost everything has been erased. for a lot of us, the collapse of empire is a light at the end of the tunnel. it'll be horrible, for certain, and was completely avoidable, but you know white people. crawl out to the fallout baby, when they drop that bomb

[–] BashfulBob@hexbear.net 2 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (1 children)

the last dark age only happened in europe. most of the world was actually thriving at this time.

You can find "Dark Ages" that have consumed various chunks of the planet, based on when certain central institutions of information collapsed.

Mississippi culture in North America and the Mayan culture in Central America. The collapse of various East Asia dynasties. The sacking of Middle Eastern city states

But we're in a global manufacturing and information economy. If China and the US obliterate critical infrastructure in a war, South Africa doesn't get to pick up on aeronautics or semiconductors or cosmetology where these two juggernauts left off. The info is lost and must be rediscovered.

for a lot of us, the collapse of empire is a light at the end of the tunnel

Nobody benefited when the Library of Alexandria burned.

[–] xj9@hexbear.net 1 points 1 month ago

Nobody burned the library of Alexandria it probably died from neglect, but Europeans did burn ~every book ever produced in central america and extinguished hundreds of unique cultures and languages. Western culture is a dark age IMO. And I'm not saying dark ages don't exist elsewhere. Europe may be fanatically xenophobic, but they aren't entirely unique either. Just the most successful at spreading darkness.