<![CDATA[In history class, I never understood how “advanced” civilizations could collapse.]]>In history class, I never understood how “advanced” civilizations could collapse. It just didn’t seem plausible.

Anyway, I’ve seen enough. I get it now.

]]>https://forum.fedi.dk/topic/f4c3f486-b1f9-4c9d-93cd-3a380df2b55e/in-history-class-i-never-understood-how-advanced-civilizations-could-collapse.RSS for NodeTue, 26 May 2026 23:01:49 GMTMon, 11 May 2026 20:15:48 GMT60<![CDATA[Reply to In history class, I never understood how “advanced” civilizations could collapse. on Tue, 12 May 2026 04:24:37 GMT]]>@Strandjunker

sad thing that advanced i tech does not correlate to advanced in mind

]]>https://forum.fedi.dk/post/https://mastodon.social/users/utf_7/statuses/116559700161387474https://forum.fedi.dk/post/https://mastodon.social/users/utf_7/statuses/116559700161387474Tue, 12 May 2026 04:24:37 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to In history class, I never understood how “advanced” civilizations could collapse. on Tue, 12 May 2026 04:21:10 GMT]]>@TheOneDoc @Strandjunker Fail is a strong word. Maybe “transform”? Russia has been acting imperial for centuries. It was an empire in the 1709s. It subjugated its neighbours for various reasons, geography and food access for eg.

Take Finland… since 1809, it has been annexed by Russia, achieved independence, then lost a chunk of territory to the USSR (heavily Russian power structure in the USSR)

The USSR lost dominance over its neighbours in the 90’s. The Russian SFSR became the Russian Federation

They’ve started wars with Chechnya, Geogria, and Ukraine. While suppressing non-Russian minorities within Russia.

They’re influencing the Iran war.

Russia still sounds hella imperial to me

]]>https://forum.fedi.dk/post/https://norcal.social/users/Edgar/statuses/116559686571687408https://forum.fedi.dk/post/https://norcal.social/users/Edgar/statuses/116559686571687408Tue, 12 May 2026 04:21:10 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to In history class, I never understood how “advanced” civilizations could collapse. on Tue, 12 May 2026 03:01:36 GMT]]>@FishNamedDog @Strandjunker https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JhkZMxgPxXU "There's a horse in the hospital!"

]]>https://forum.fedi.dk/post/https://mastodon.hams.social/users/kj6evv/statuses/116559373703725498https://forum.fedi.dk/post/https://mastodon.hams.social/users/kj6evv/statuses/116559373703725498Tue, 12 May 2026 03:01:36 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to In history class, I never understood how “advanced” civilizations could collapse. on Tue, 12 May 2026 02:44:34 GMT]]>@Strandjunker 💯

]]>https://forum.fedi.dk/post/https://infosec.exchange/users/kcarruthers/statuses/116559306718009790https://forum.fedi.dk/post/https://infosec.exchange/users/kcarruthers/statuses/116559306718009790Tue, 12 May 2026 02:44:34 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to In history class, I never understood how “advanced” civilizations could collapse. on Tue, 12 May 2026 02:30:07 GMT]]>@Strandjunker Every civilisation collapses eventually, for different reasons. Quite often the system cannot maintain its complexity any longer because the complexity costs keep growing while the resources dwindle, and often the system tries to solve the problem by adding another layer of even more complexity because that was the thing that had always worked in the past.
Once you stop looking at civilisation as a human endeavour run by a bunch of experts and thinkers and begin to look at it as a self-organising complex system consisting of all kinds of humans, most of whom don't really know what they're doing and just repeating what seemed to work in the past, you begin to realise that every civilisation eventually crosses the point of no return where collapse becomes inevitable. The Industrial Age is quite likely already beyond saving, we crossed the line some twenty years ago.

]]>https://forum.fedi.dk/post/https://discordian.social/users/LordCaramac/statuses/116559249875420264https://forum.fedi.dk/post/https://discordian.social/users/LordCaramac/statuses/116559249875420264Tue, 12 May 2026 02:30:07 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to In history class, I never understood how “advanced” civilizations could collapse. on Tue, 12 May 2026 02:27:04 GMT]]>@Strandjunker

I still don't get it. I'm a news junkie in the US, and I still don't understand what I'm seeing, even though it's all around me. It just makes no sense

]]>https://forum.fedi.dk/post/https://zeroes.ca/users/NilaJones/statuses/116559237923471734https://forum.fedi.dk/post/https://zeroes.ca/users/NilaJones/statuses/116559237923471734Tue, 12 May 2026 02:27:04 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to In history class, I never understood how “advanced” civilizations could collapse. on Tue, 12 May 2026 02:04:32 GMT]]>@TheOneDoc @Strandjunker At least we got quite few recent examples, like USSR in the 90's as well.
So better documented than ancient ones like roman empire, bronze age, …]]>https://forum.fedi.dk/post/https://queer.hacktivis.me/objects/e8551345-74d1-4bb9-94aa-5e6ad47083fchttps://forum.fedi.dk/post/https://queer.hacktivis.me/objects/e8551345-74d1-4bb9-94aa-5e6ad47083fcTue, 12 May 2026 02:04:32 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to In history class, I never understood how “advanced” civilizations could collapse. on Tue, 12 May 2026 01:56:07 GMT]]>@Strandjunker Advanced civilisations collapse in the same way that wise old men die. It's not only plausible, it's the natural order of things.

]]>https://forum.fedi.dk/post/https://fosstodon.org/users/whynothugo/statuses/116559116186083415https://forum.fedi.dk/post/https://fosstodon.org/users/whynothugo/statuses/116559116186083415Tue, 12 May 2026 01:56:07 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to In history class, I never understood how “advanced” civilizations could collapse. on Tue, 12 May 2026 01:43:45 GMT]]>@Strandjunker Fair enough.

“Computer, end simulation.”

]]>https://forum.fedi.dk/post/https://mas.to/users/Kimota94/statuses/116559067606937611https://forum.fedi.dk/post/https://mas.to/users/Kimota94/statuses/116559067606937611Tue, 12 May 2026 01:43:45 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to In history class, I never understood how “advanced” civilizations could collapse. on Tue, 12 May 2026 01:15:23 GMT]]>@TransitBiker@urbanists.social @Strandjunker@mstdn.social @FishNamedDog@mastodon.social It's questionable if that exact thing actually happened, but it fits into how after the first two the emperors increasingly stopped pretending the republic was still intact and they were just the most influential senators (with a ridiculous amount of other offices/honors). The coup against the republic was long done by then (though there were many to become emperor instead of the emperor).

]]>https://forum.fedi.dk/post/https://woem.men/notes/am5i6lanzcds000khttps://forum.fedi.dk/post/https://woem.men/notes/am5i6lanzcds000kTue, 12 May 2026 01:15:23 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to In history class, I never understood how “advanced” civilizations could collapse. on Tue, 12 May 2026 01:00:36 GMT]]>@TransitBiker@urbanists.social @FishNamedDog@mastodon.social @Strandjunker@mstdn.social More a way for the emperor to insult the senators, kinda like "You think you're the top of Rome, but you can't tell me what to do any more than this horse can!"

]]>https://forum.fedi.dk/post/https://woem.men/notes/am5hnku7kiee001bhttps://forum.fedi.dk/post/https://woem.men/notes/am5hnku7kiee001bTue, 12 May 2026 01:00:36 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to In history class, I never understood how “advanced” civilizations could collapse. on Tue, 12 May 2026 00:12:08 GMT]]>@Strandjunker Those who don't learn from history...

]]>https://forum.fedi.dk/post/https://metasocial.com/users/hatter/statuses/116558707326535800https://forum.fedi.dk/post/https://metasocial.com/users/hatter/statuses/116558707326535800Tue, 12 May 2026 00:12:08 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to In history class, I never understood how “advanced” civilizations could collapse. on Tue, 12 May 2026 00:00:34 GMT]]>@Strandjunker It all feels like a house of cards, doesn't it?

]]>https://forum.fedi.dk/post/https://c.im/users/DanDan420/statuses/116558661875212379https://forum.fedi.dk/post/https://c.im/users/DanDan420/statuses/116558661875212379Tue, 12 May 2026 00:00:34 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to In history class, I never understood how “advanced” civilizations could collapse. on Mon, 11 May 2026 23:15:01 GMT]]>@Strandjunker but just imagine the value we’re creating for shareholders!

]]>https://forum.fedi.dk/post/https://urbanists.social/users/TransitBiker/statuses/116558482745199536https://forum.fedi.dk/post/https://urbanists.social/users/TransitBiker/statuses/116558482745199536Mon, 11 May 2026 23:15:01 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to In history class, I never understood how “advanced” civilizations could collapse. on Mon, 11 May 2026 23:13:57 GMT]]>@FishNamedDog @Strandjunker republicans are putting on a coup that superficially resembles a hapless clown show. Was the horse part of a coup attempt?

]]>https://forum.fedi.dk/post/https://urbanists.social/users/TransitBiker/statuses/116558478538001971https://forum.fedi.dk/post/https://urbanists.social/users/TransitBiker/statuses/116558478538001971Mon, 11 May 2026 23:13:57 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to In history class, I never understood how “advanced” civilizations could collapse. on Mon, 11 May 2026 23:13:02 GMT]]>@FishNamedDog @Strandjunker (leaving aside the reality of Inciatius' term in the Senate), Caligula was Emperor in the 30's AD; Alaric's sack of Rome wasn't until four centuries later.

Settle in for the long haul, is what I'm saying

]]>https://forum.fedi.dk/post/https://ohai.social/ap/users/115799427627186796/statuses/116558474947679851https://forum.fedi.dk/post/https://ohai.social/ap/users/115799427627186796/statuses/116558474947679851Mon, 11 May 2026 23:13:02 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to In history class, I never understood how “advanced” civilizations could collapse. on Mon, 11 May 2026 23:09:35 GMT]]>@Strandjunker

Evil, greed, hate and stupidity for the perfect ingredients for it.... always have been...

]]>https://forum.fedi.dk/post/https://mastodon.social/users/xs4me2/statuses/116558461368721354https://forum.fedi.dk/post/https://mastodon.social/users/xs4me2/statuses/116558461368721354Mon, 11 May 2026 23:09:35 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to In history class, I never understood how “advanced” civilizations could collapse. on Mon, 11 May 2026 22:50:24 GMT]]>@Strandjunker

Greed and Climate Change work together well.

Stay tuned.

]]>https://forum.fedi.dk/post/https://infosec.exchange/users/SpaceLifeForm/statuses/116558385967910667https://forum.fedi.dk/post/https://infosec.exchange/users/SpaceLifeForm/statuses/116558385967910667Mon, 11 May 2026 22:50:24 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to In history class, I never understood how “advanced” civilizations could collapse. on Mon, 11 May 2026 22:28:52 GMT]]>@Strandjunker can't decide if the US government is currently being more or less ridiculous than the Romans appointing a horse to the Senate

]]>https://forum.fedi.dk/post/https://mastodon.social/users/FishNamedDog/statuses/116558301236154357https://forum.fedi.dk/post/https://mastodon.social/users/FishNamedDog/statuses/116558301236154357Mon, 11 May 2026 22:28:52 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to In history class, I never understood how “advanced” civilizations could collapse. on Mon, 11 May 2026 22:18:58 GMT]]>@makja @Strandjunker stochastically…

]]>https://forum.fedi.dk/post/https://chaos.social/users/hendrikstier/statuses/116558262358533099https://forum.fedi.dk/post/https://chaos.social/users/hendrikstier/statuses/116558262358533099Mon, 11 May 2026 22:18:58 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to In history class, I never understood how “advanced” civilizations could collapse. on Mon, 11 May 2026 22:02:59 GMT]]>@Strandjunker

I read 700 pages of frickin Jacques Barzun for this‽

]]>https://forum.fedi.dk/post/https://exquisite.social/ap/users/115872318481369612/statuses/116558199493416248https://forum.fedi.dk/post/https://exquisite.social/ap/users/115872318481369612/statuses/116558199493416248Mon, 11 May 2026 22:02:59 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to In history class, I never understood how “advanced” civilizations could collapse. on Mon, 11 May 2026 21:57:54 GMT]]>@Strandjunker Jared Diamond's 2005 'Collapse' book is much more readable than his 'Guns, Germs and Steel' and walks though some historical collapse scenarios. It has been over a decade since I read it so I'm sure the field has evolved and i might be misremembering, but the main gist I recall is there are too many rich people in advanced societies and too much pressure gets put on ecological systems that allowed the civ to succeed in the first place.

]]>https://forum.fedi.dk/post/https://thecanadian.social/users/Bolt/statuses/116558179467466574https://forum.fedi.dk/post/https://thecanadian.social/users/Bolt/statuses/116558179467466574Mon, 11 May 2026 21:57:54 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to In history class, I never understood how “advanced” civilizations could collapse. on Mon, 11 May 2026 21:50:43 GMT]]>@hendrikstier @Strandjunker where does the "d" go? His couch?

]]>https://forum.fedi.dk/post/https://mastodon.social/users/makja/statuses/116558151248932726https://forum.fedi.dk/post/https://mastodon.social/users/makja/statuses/116558151248932726Mon, 11 May 2026 21:50:43 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to In history class, I never understood how “advanced” civilizations could collapse. on Mon, 11 May 2026 21:17:41 GMT]]>@Strandjunker Advanced is subjective.

When I look around at society I tend to doubt the enlightenment was ever a thing.

]]>https://forum.fedi.dk/post/https://mastodon.social/ap/users/115494710698880506/statuses/116558021373720000https://forum.fedi.dk/post/https://mastodon.social/ap/users/115494710698880506/statuses/116558021373720000Mon, 11 May 2026 21:17:41 GMT