A lot of the bad parts of our current version of civilization are just un-optimized implementation details.<p>Isn't it our species' imperative to create as many happy and healthy humans as we can manage? Part of the problem is that we have instead optimized most of civilization for maximum dollar production.<p>When we can figure out how to build health and happiness (or rather: emotional well-being) into the goals of our society, we will finally get past this semi-intellectual hand-wringing about the mythical Noble Savage and his perfect life we cast aside.
Rousseau's work is very interesting to read even if it's a bit hyperbolic at times. He was quite ahead of his time on a lot of issues given he was writing in 1750. Regardless of whether you agree with his overall premise I think you have to admit that he scores some points. Definitely worth reading some of his work if you haven't before particularly "First Discourse" and "Discourse on Inequality."
What a useless article; the author makes it clear that they were never intending to properly entertain the ideas that are put forward by the referenced authors and just go for quick "look how silly these people are" jabs.<p>I was surprised when I got to the end, because I'd expected them to do a little bit more than poorly summarize another article and make fun of Rousseau.
There's been a substantial amount of development in the criticism civilization beyond Rousseau. It's sad to see this article neglect to mention contemporary groups such as the dark mountain project or the tiqqun collective.
Advances in civilisation is a consequence of ever denser population. Were it not for the high cost of food, were fertilisers invented? Was it not because there are many mouths to feed, we learnt to farm rather than hunt? Is it not because we live so far apart, we must ride cars or trains rather than walk? If we all lived next to each other, would we have built telephones?<p>Thus it can be said civilisation is a necessary evil - if it were not necessary, we would not have done it - there is so much more leisure time in a hunter gatherer’s week than in a typical city resident’s. But in most places of the world it is no longer possible to live as a hunter gatherer. There are too many mouths to feed!