The Ecotechnic Future: Envisioning a Post-Peak World

Until recently I was a fan of Greer's books. Though I'm not a druid, I found them insightful and occasionally profound with some notable limitations. He's definitely got a facility with words. But then I began to read his blog, THE ARCHDRUID REPORT. Once again, there's some good stuff here. But don't make the mistake of disagreeing with him, even in the mildest terms. First come the put-downs...dismissive barbs aimed at those who bring up uncomfortable questions about the limitations of his viewpoint. But, if you overlook his snide jabs and continue to try to engage him in a frank dialog--Watch Out!Allow me to explain...As you familiarize yourself with his writings, it becomes clear that Archdruid Greer is not a fan of grassroots social movements. Peaceful protest is a dangerous waste of time. In Greer's words, "If you plan on nonviolent protest, I trust you realize that any tyrant worth the name can simply have you rounded up, shot in the back of the head, and dumped in a mass grave; there's your protest."Greer thinks people should NOT try to change the system...they should simply cope with the collapse of industrial civilization by fortifying their personal capacity to live without it. If you ask him if his personal coping strategy--while absolutely necessary--is sufficient to break the death grip of corporate power over the planet and our lives, be prepared for a tongue-lashing. If you have the temerity to voice your doubts that his approach will be able to counteract a dying system's propensity for ecocide, resource wars and tyranny, you may find yourself purged from his blog like I was. In my case, the entire history of our previous discourse was expunged from THE ARCHDRUID REPORT. I had no idea druids favored these Stalinist tactics.Archdruid Greer wants only fawning admirers. I can only surmise that his long-range goal is to build a cult of ardent Archdruid worshipers who hang on his pearls of wisdom unquestioningly. So I guess the whole "personality cult" thing is another way the Archdruid models himself after Stalin & Mao. Instead of Red Guards, he calls them his "Green Wizards." Archdruid Greer runs another site where he gives them little projects to fortify and share their simple-living strategies. This would be harmless, and often helpful, fun except for the intolerant, self-important wizard behind the curtain. But, as Dorothy learned in the land of OZ, there are more genuine ways to find your place in the world, your courage, your brains and your heart than to follow some phony wizard!Don't get me wrong. I've read many of Stalin's and Chairman Mao's works, and I've found Archdruid Greer's books just as worthwhile. But don't make the mistake of trying to engage the author in a frank, open discussion of his ideas--he just wants to hear wizard worship. And if you do decide to become one of Greer's "green wizards," be careful...don't peek behind the curtain or you'll be kicked out of OZ.

As a regular reader of JMG I am not at all disappointed by his fleshing out of his blog posts in this book. Here he writes as beautifully as ever to develop his view of human history unfolding in the wake of the challenges posed to it by hitting all the various limits to growth forecast with such accuracy back with the first Club of Rome reports. I have only read it once so far and my copy is positively bristling with markers indicating where I intend to read it again. My initial take out is a new and hopeful vision of present day humans as very primitive users of technology with barely a glimmer of an understanding yet of how to use that technology with any kind of ecological or human consciousness. Truly not much smarter than yeast nor those Easter Islanders yet, but we just might get better if we can just learn from the hard and horrible lessons more immediately ahead.

Let me put it this way: If Greer is correct in his predictions then the Ecotechnic Future is one of the most important books now occupying shelf space in any library. And, if he's wrong, at least you spent a few hours enjoying a thought-provoking read.What I like about this book is that Greer shows an unusually large amount of humility and restraint for a futurist. Rather than paint a dramatic and detailed picture of America's future, he has the maturity to make some broad guesses while acknowledging the details are currently unknowable (and largely irrelevant).Greer is at his best when reminding us that humans get no exemptions from ecological law, and he uses Nature as a great source for metaphors for the current human condition. An articulate writer with encyclopedic knowledge, Greer takes us on a compelling jaunt through a decidedly downbeat future. Weirdly, it was enjoyable.I've bought copies of this book for two of my friends. The ultimate vote.

This book is a welcome leap forward past the earlier works of Richard Heinberg (The Party's Over), James Kunstler (The Long Emergency), Jared Diamond (Collapse) and others. The most important aspect of Mr. Greer's work is that it uses a language that enables further discussion of the post-peak future. Rather than pummeling us senseless with statistics proving the validity of the peak oil hypothesis, he moves forward well past that. Instead he connects the dots between peak-oil, global warming, the future of food, economics, energy, employment, and culture. Using general terms, he wisely avoids being prescriptive about how we might respond to the challenges facing us. The variables are too numerous and fluid to attempt prescriptive solutions. This book is a 'must-read' if you're anxious to move past the body of literature that warns us of impending crisis. It could well become an enduring standard.

John Greer makes for a compelling case for a future dramatically different from what most experts project. For example, projections are widely made that the world population will reach 9 Billion by 2050. Even elementary students know that this is not possible. Cheap fossil fuels acquired from organic matter decaying over the past 500 million years and mostly burned up in the last 100 years have made our exploding growth possible. Cheap food and goods are made from this legacy of cheap energy that is about to be used up. The party is over and Mr. Greer makes some sensible analysis of how we can prepare for the real future to come. This book is the equivalent of Alvin Toffler's "Future Shock" for our time. A must read and good content for group discussions.

His description of likely scenarios of descent of global industrial culture seem a lot more realistic than many 'doomer' scenarios of quick, total collapse which seem really naive based on what we know about how nations work. This is a great intro to potential issues approaching us in the future, and the different stages that we are likely to pass through. He imagines a long, slow descent, where societies make attampts to get by with what's available. Even in a large economic collapse, there will still be lots of infrastucture and resources available, it will take time as things shift, we aren't going to suddenly be living in the middle ages. In a weird way it's actually kinda hopeful compared to a lot of his contemporaries discussing the dark times ahead - a lot is going to be bad for a lot of people, but humans are clever and adaptable and hopefully by planning ahead for what skills will be most useful in a transitioning world we can make the most of it and help others to do the same.

Great book, but also a great introduction to the world of the Arch Druid - Mr. Greer. A must for anyone who is concerned about the world we leave to our children.

Purchaaed this book for my Son-in Law for Xmas. very quick delivery, and think he really liked it.