Sane Policies Are Not ‘Virtue Signaling’ (And Other Takeaways From The IMF’s New Outlook)
For what it's worth -- which at this juncture probably isn't much -- the IMF offered a more optimistic take on the global economy Tuesday compared to the fund's June forecast.
Of course, "optimistic" is an extremely relative term these days. Indeed, it's probably a misnomer.
"We continue to project a deep recession in 2020," Gita Gopinath, director of the IMF's research department, wrote, in a post accompanying the fund's latest World Economic Outlook. "Global growth is projected to be -4.4%,
For anyone who hasn’t read Jared Diamond’s book Collapse, now might be a good time to do so.
Oh, and for interested readers, also be sure to not miss the Joseph A. Tainter title.
While Collapse is worth reading, it is worth noting that Jared Diamond got a great deal wrong. In fact, there is a collection of essays under the title, Questioning Collapse, that addresses a number of the more significant problems with Diamond’s research and conclusions.
Tom, have you read Collapse? Or did you just go to the Wikipedia article and rip off a line from their Criticisms section? From the Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed article on Wikipedia:
“The book Questioning Collapse (Cambridge University Press, 2010) is a collection of essays by anthropologists criticizing various aspects of Diamond’s books Collapse and Guns, Germs, and Steel.”
And for that matter, have you read any of the essays in Questioning Collapse? I haven’t read Collapse, and won’t pretend that I did. I have, however, read a good portion of Diamond’s “The World Until Yesterday” and if Collapse is even half as thorough as that book, then it is definitely worth a read.
Also, when you say “Diamond got a great deal wrong”, what does that even mean? How much is a “great deal” and was it wrong or is it just that not every anthropologist in the world agrees 100% with all of his conclusions? If you haven’t read Collapse, and you haven’t read any of the essays from Questioning Collapse, then I fail to understand why you would make a statement like this which undermines what is most likely a very comprehensive and well researched text if it even remotely compares to The World Until Yesterday.
John3D, I’m guessing this is probably a great book recommendation. If I can find some time to put into Collapse, I’ll definitely make the effort to read it considering how much I enjoyed the perspectives in The World Until Yesterday. Thanks!
I have read Collapse as well as various published criticisms of it. If you wish to know what Diamond got wrong, I suggest that you do the same.
The fact that you have read neither Collapse nor the book of essays criticizing it, yet still felt compelled to reply to my post is rather telling. But then this is not the first time that you have taken issue with something that I have written.
Heisenberg indeterminacy indeed.
I’m pretty sure smart people can find stuff wrong in most (if not all) books. What I took from Collapse is how willing humans are to ignore their own behavior even as its destroying their habitat. A great many places in this world could no longer support their populations if they were isolated. When do we reach the tipping point?
Yes. It was my favorite. Was. Past tense. I’ve been medically forbidden from scotch for a half-decade now and forevermore, which is both fortunate and unfortunate. 🙂
If you needed to quit it is great that you did so and continue to do so. The sacrifice is worth it.
I hope and trust you’re quite happy with that decision, effort, and current life.
You are very appreciated here.
Marry me