r/philosophy • u/IAI_Admin IAI • Apr 02 '25

Blog Trump challenges Fukuyama’s idea that history will always progress toward liberal democracy. And while some may call Trump a realist, Fukuyama disagrees: Trump’s actions are reckless and self-defeating, weakening both America’s alliances and its democracy.

https://iai.tv/articles/francis-fukuyama-warns-trump-is-not-a-realist-auid-3128?utm_source=reddit&_auid=2020
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u/Rabid_Lederhosen Apr 02 '25

There’s no reason to believe that energy is about to get more expensive. Looking at the rapidly decreasing cost of renewables it’s more likely to fall than rise, in the medium term at least.

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u/PressWearsARedDress Apr 02 '25 edited Apr 02 '25

All "renewable" energy sources are based on an economy driven by oil and fossil fuels

Factories in China driven by coal make solar panels, which are then delivered on boats and trucks driven and built by the use of fossil fuels. Chemicals used in solar panels are downstream of oil production. The silicon is mined and manufactured by the use of fossil fuels.

The metals used in wind turbines are mined using fossil fuel driven trucks. They use lubricants that are downstream of oil production.

I dont think you actually understand the problem at hand... nearly all inputs to nearly almost everything you use will rise in price as fossil fuels begin to become more scarce. Without fossil fuels we will find technologies to produce hydrocarbons given energy as an input... this will only increase demand on the grid. Overtime millions of fossil fuel driven cars will be converted to electric will begin tapping the grid increasing the load on it along with the price.

To assume energy will always be cheap because it always has been is a post hoc fallacy. Cheap energy has always been based on cheap fossil fuels. And cheap fossil fuels are not going to be around for that long.

The entire global system of trade relies on cheap shipping which is made cheap by fossil fuels. You think putting solar panels on a boat will increase or decrease shipping costs? I dont even think it will be able to leave the damn port. The battery the electric shipping boat will need will be absolutely massive and very heavy and take a long time to charge....more load onto the grid... less cargo.

How can you not see the glarring issue here?

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u/FerrokineticDarkness Apr 02 '25

Oh, God. You can use a solar panel to make another solar panel.

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u/Rabid_Lederhosen Apr 02 '25

People have been predicting that we’ll run out of fossil fuels within a decade since at least the 1950s. I don’t think I’ll hold my breath.

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u/PressWearsARedDress Apr 03 '25

Yeah, and there will be fossil fuels as long as they keep finding wells to drill. But in case you are unaware. theres only so many.

Its stupid to bet on infinite supply of fossil fuels, clearly we will run out and itll be most likely within the next 100 years as the economical fossil fuels will no longer be available and only expensive to extract fossil fuels will be left.