Comments on: The nothingness that is the new energy bill http://cstpr.colorado.edu/prometheus/?p=4218 Wed, 29 Jul 2009 22:36:51 -0600 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.1 hourly 1 By: Russell Seitz http://cstpr.colorado.edu/prometheus/?p=4218&cpage=1#comment-9109 Russell Seitz Sun, 01 Jul 2007 23:21:49 +0000 http://sciencepolicy.colorado.edu/prometheusreborn/?p=4218#comment-9109 Sequels to Big Theories tend to disappoint, and Diamond's current examples are less than shining. Just as Mr. Gore has lately been invoking Venus to distract us from the tendentiousness of his terrestrial policy agenda, Diamond has been literally driven to the ends of the Earth in pursuit of evidence for his grand design. Invoking ecosystem collapse on utterly isolated Easter Island is a singularly underwhelming stratagem , when in both North America and Australia, indigenous cultures continued to prosper for eons despite driving whole genera of megafauna to extinction without benefit of guns , germs, or steel. Sequels to Big Theories tend to disappoint, and Diamond’s current examples are less than shining.

Just as Mr. Gore has lately been invoking Venus to distract us from the tendentiousness of his terrestrial policy agenda, Diamond has been literally driven to the ends of the Earth in pursuit of evidence for his grand design.

Invoking ecosystem collapse on utterly isolated Easter Island is a singularly underwhelming stratagem , when in both North America and Australia, indigenous cultures continued to prosper for eons despite driving whole genera of megafauna to extinction without benefit of guns , germs, or steel.

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