“Until the raw ingredients of a pudding make a pudding, I shall never believe that the raw material of sensation and thought can make a work of art without the cook’s intervening.”
~ Edith Wharton
Written by Bryan Lutz, Editor at Dollarcollapse.com:
Yesterday, we talked about the ol’ saying, “The proof is in the pudding.”
Today, I want to talk about something that may seem obvious, but is absolutely necessary to know when it comes to collapse.
You don’t need “progressive,” new technology to make pudding.
In fact, there were no technological advancements involved in the historical development of pudding.
For every kind of new pudding, something else was required.
Keep reading to find out what.
(If you like, take a listen to the video below, I find the video a bit annoying. Your choice.)
New pudding are the product of stories, myths we build our lives around.
So, pudding proves technological progress isn’t necessary to make life better. Stories and myths are absolutely necessary.
If we want to get a bit more intellectual about it, Charles Hugh Smith makes an even more discerning argument in his new book(not an affiliate link):
The Mythology of Progress, Anti-Progress and a Mythology for the 21st Century
“The core idea is that our view of technological Progress is not scientific. Rather, it is a secular mythology from the 19th century.
This is deeply offensive to us, for it challenges our belief that Progress is inevitable and therefore it is inevitable that life will get better for all of us as technology advances.
This mythology is chewing though the planet and the foundations of human life, generating Anti-Progress–the opposite of true progress.
We need a new mythology that is designed for 21st century realities.
While priding ourselves on soaring far above mere myths, we’ve created a secular mythology, for humanity is hardwired for mythology.
Once we understand this, we can design a mythology suited for the 21st century rather than the 19th century.
“Neither revolution nor reformation can ultimately change a society, rather you must tell a new powerful tale, one so persuasive that it sweeps away the old myths and becomes the preferred story, one so inclusive that it gathers all the bits of our past and our present into a coherent whole, one that even shines some light into the future so that we can take the next step.
If you want to change a society, then you have to tell an alternative story.”
– Ivan Illich”
What need is a new story about money.
The idea that we now have the technological advancements to communicate globally and thus, increase the speed of trade, and the velocity of money is a story we’ve been working on for almost 100 years.
Of which, John Maynard Keynes was the chief architect.
Except in his story, production was no longer required to make money.
He argued to simply create more money using the Central Banking system, and that this new money would drive the economy as a whole, forward.
But, this story eventually lead to the fiat US Dollar.
No real production was required, just new money manageable through technological advancement – the great money printer.
Now we have a failing monetary system based the production of nothing more than financial maneuvers.
As the dollar declines, and fiat money disappears we need a new story.
And that story needs no technological “progress.”
Just production and a myth answering the question of value, and purpose behind the things we make…
So far, we have no hints of a new myth.
There is no coherent narrative binding the West together…
All we have is to wait and see what new values arise from the conflicts to come, and what purpose may lay behind them.
Those are the ingredients of our new pudding…
Before any progress can be made.
