. . . than dead, or so the arguments from a class of intellectually suspect supporters of Soviet communism argued during the cold war. Their fear of nuclear war prompted them to prefer capitulation to continued resistance of communist efforts to conquer the planet. So they argued that communism wasn't so bad and capitalism had flaws, down playing the horrors of totalitarian rule while exaggerating the defects of liberty. Their thinking was skewed from rationality by their fears.

With hindsight this is obvious. Some have a certain morbid fascination with dissecting the mind and character of such quislings. It wasn't a one off event, it's an enduring category well populated still. The threat isn't nuclear war now, it's climate change, and the role of the heavy in the drama isn't played by communists, it's played by green hysterics. All else is identical. Society is divided along the same lines, often with the same people. Veteran communist sympathizers who advocated capitulation are now arguing in favor of much the same as a response to climate change. It isn't the iron rice bowl they now long for, it's the iron hybrid automobile or windmill, but the intellectual and emotional content is the same.

. . . ideology isn't the point. The health of the planet -- our only planet -- that's the point.

What can we conclude? How about this: Even if it's not 100 percent certain that we're rushing headlong toward some kind of ecological tipping point -- even if there's room for argument -- why argue at all?

Look. Something is happening out there. What matters here is the planet, not whose economic system prevails. Can an unfettered free market settle things? Great, use it. Would heavy regulation of private industry be more effective? Then do that. Do what it takes to get the job done. We may get only one shot. I'm not willing to put all my chips on 32 red.

How about you?

This is childish. The requirement is to do both. You have to deal with threats without creating a monstrous civilization. The argument all along has been about policy choices.

One side made a magic leap of faith, assuming and asserting that the threat required abdication and loss of freedom, a totalitarian world government to control emissions of gasses.

The other side resisted by chipping away at the still shaky evidence for a threat while making the more complicated argument for a non-totalitarian response. They have the harder task since impulsive and simple minded resort to force is the easier political sale, though seldom actually effective.

Debating policy choices is the real work of society. What makes the totalitarians crazy is that the debate never ends, never settles on a conclusion that everyone can march to in lock step. Instead, individuals and small groups peel off from the scrum to try various remedies. To a totalitarian it looks like chaos, and they lack the mental acuity to grasp how a chaotic approach can be useful.

To grasp how this works start with the insight that planning always fails, designers have no useful skills. We lack information about the problem as well as methods to address it. An experimental approach is required and since time is of the essence multiple simultaneous experiments are needed. Try everything and broadcast your results. No one will know all the experiments in progress, or what the impact of the report from any given experiment will be. There are no bottlenecks, no decision choke points, no permissions needed to begin or end an experiment, or alter its nature part way through. Some will fail, others will do better and all are valuable sources of knowledge so long as their results are communicated widely.

Some will ignore the issue while obsessing about some other problem. We have more than one. We can't drop everything and all do one task or society will collapse. We have to work on every problem at once as well as trying every solution to each problem. Any effort to subvert this natural and effective evolutionary approach will degrade society. Let each pursue their enthusiasms determined by the combination of information, knowledge and talents they possess.

When we see how things actually work then the crimes of hysterics are revealed. Their exaggerations and obfuscations pollute the global mind. If you really want to help then become a bare faced truth teller rather than a hustler. Forget your market droid deceits, your dirty politics and sneaky attempts to steal a march. If your deepest need is to surrender - and for some this is clearly so - then surrender to honesty, integrity and authenticity. Be a good guy for once. Say what you know, admit what you don't know, keep an open mind and work diligently to do what you can do with your meager gifts. Keep your fists in your pockets, they aren't useful.

There are no guarantees. We might fail. But if we do let it be an honorable defeat by a worthy opponent. Let's give it our best shot.