Italy Joins China's New Silk Road Project
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Re: Italy Joins China's New Silk Road Project
#2The weakness of centralized planning is what allowed the western way of life to dominate in a world where technology hampered its effectiveness.
In this new world we may need to accept that our individualistic nature has become that very same weakness that dooms our way of life in the great game of life.
Re: Italy Joins China's New Silk Road Project
#3The weakness of centralized planning is what allowed the western way of life to dominate in a world where technology hampered its effectiveness. In this new world we may need to accept that our individualistic nature has become that very same weakness that dooms our way of life in the great game of life.
The Western way of life has failed and is continuing to fail many people. Change is coming, and it will be messy... it always is.
Re: Italy Joins China's New Silk Road Project
#4The weakness of centralized planning is what allowed the western way of life to dominate in a world where technology hampered its effectiveness. In this new world we may need to accept that our individualistic nature has become that very same weakness that dooms our way of life in the great game of life.
The Western way of life has failed and is continuing to fail many people. Change is coming, and it will be messy... it always is.
It failed so hard that it lifted billions out of poverty
Re: Italy Joins China's New Silk Road Project
#5Apparently the two parties signed 29 agreements covering a wide variety of areas - all of which are fairly standard and cover the standard touchstones of trade, science and culture [0]. That said, there is an undeniable symbolism in the appearance of renewing, at least nominally, a trade route which has occupied peoples' imaginations for centuries. In passing, one of the interviewees in the BBC story (Peter Frankopan) wrote a fantastic book ("The Silk Roads: A New History of the World") on the history of the Silk Road that is well worth a read. [1]
[0] https://www.corriere.it/economia/lavoro/19_marzo_23/tutti-ac... (Italian)
[1] https://www.amazon.com/Silk-Roads-New-History-World/dp/11019...
Re: Italy Joins China's New Silk Road Project
#6The weakness of centralized planning is what allowed the western way of life to dominate in a world where technology hampered its effectiveness. In this new world we may need to accept that our individualistic nature has become that very same weakness that dooms our way of life in the great game of life.
Maybe it's getting late, but I can't seem to parse your first sentence.
What is the its you are referring to when you say technology hampered its effectiveness.
Secondly, I don't believe it is widely accepted that our nature is individualistic. Individualism is a moral stance, political philosophy, ideology, social outlook.
Re: Italy Joins China's New Silk Road Project
#7> The European Union is also worried about unfair competition from Chinese companies, which are controlled by the Chinese government and benefit from the state’s financial backing. EU leaders in Brussels are preparing a strategy to counter the growing influence of China, which they describe as a “systemic rival.”
Most of the Western articles I've read express concern over Italy's involvement in the BRI. However, I am cautiously optimistic: maybe having one of the G7 countries participate in the BRI is a good way to cooperate with China and bring a more inclusive and globalistic approach to working with China? I think it's too early to tell how this will end, but I'm less pessimistic than most.
Re: Italy Joins China's New Silk Road Project
#8The weakness of centralized planning is what allowed the western way of life to dominate in a world where technology hampered its effectiveness. In this new world we may need to accept that our individualistic nature has become that very same weakness that dooms our way of life in the great game of life.
Maybe it's getting late, but I can't seem to parse your first sentence. What is the its you are referring to when you say technology hampered its effectiveness. Secondly, I don't believe it is widely accepted that our nature is individualistic . Individualism is a moral stance, political philosophy, ideology, social outlook.
I think the GP means that central planning was hard to pull off without modern communication tech like phones and internet. So, the western style of federated semi-autonomous regions proliferated, since it didn't depend on strong central control.
However, in the age of instant global communications, it may be that effective central planning is "better," or at least possible.
And now, the individualistic model may not be compatible with the planet-scale adjustments we need to make to prevent catastrophic environmental change.
Also, I agree individualism is not necessarily humans' natural state. We probably self-organize into loosely affiliated extended family units in the absence of imposed hierarchy, but humans are nothing if not adaptable.
Re: Italy Joins China's New Silk Road Project
#9[flagged]
Re: Italy Joins China's New Silk Road Project
#10[flagged]
Because everyone is just flourishing under the US world order.