Tools are not your friend.

Have to wonder if he has a front license plate. Custom Chariot Car with horse spotted on freeway. (YouTube)

People might be better off without tools as they only create problems.

You can get hammered by them.

The air powered ones may be the worst.

Yep, people get into trouble with words – even if spoken language is only noises powered by hot air.

Some linguists ponder if language is a “chicken or the egg” thing: Did language develop before or after humans started walking upright.

Once humans walked on two legs, they were able to use their hands to do other things like use tools or weapons which may creates the need for language to accomplish working with others to make stuff or do stuff.

You can see it: “Hey, get outta my way or I’ll whack you with this stick.”

Who knew people had time/energy to even think about stuff like this?

But here’s a quote from one cognitive researcher/linguist who does.(Here.)

“Illuminating quote from a person lacking all sense of irony:

‘In the sciences, one confronts some puzzling facts and attempts to
devise principles that will explain them. In ideological warfare, one
begins with Higher Truths dictated from above. The task is to select
the facts, or invent them, in such a way as to render the required
conclusions not too transparently absurd–at least for properly
disciplined minds.’ (Noam Chomsky, “Is Peace at Hand?” Zeta magazine, p. 12, Jan. 1988.”

So that may explain a lot.

“Now what can possibly be tooled up for the next grant proposal?” (USPD/Commons.wikimedia.org)

Not really clear if the early Assyrians and their tools are to blame for climate change. 

Everyone knows the metal manufacturing processes causes environmental damage.

Casting early bronze weapons with hot smokey fires was bad enough, but at least low availability of copper and tin limited manufacturing.

The Assyrian army, however, smelted, cold forged, and tempered their little hearts out making enormous quantities of cheap, iron weapons that were far superior to bronze ones. (“Iron and Empire: The Rise of Assyria/Weapons and Warfare“)

The Assyrian army was massive – requiring lots and lots of equipment. Not just long swords, but javelins, helmets, armor, shields, a more efficient battle chariot (with a new design yoke and special bred yoke horses) carrying a driver and a warrior, and a large mounted calvary. (And we all know what horses do. Same as those darn eco-unfriendly cows.)

So were they some of the first human eco-terrorists or were there other reasons for the Bronze Age Collapse?

Between 1200–936 BC there were huge migrations of people resulting in a Dark Age where large empires collapsed and were replaced by small village communities. (Which people walked and what countries collapsed here)

“Climate change fueled the rise and demise of the Neo-Assyrian Empire, superpower of the ancient world”

The perpetual human dance: the more things change, the more things stay the same. (USPD/Commons.wikimedia.org)

Oh, OK. So the Assyrians can’t take all the blame. 

Three major Icelandic volcanic eruptions disrupted the climate for years.

Researchers say the Mediterranean forests disappeared because of drought and not from over-harvesting.

The Dead Sea’s water levels appeared to have dropped drastically during that time period by more than 50 meters. (Probably because the surrounding mountains received so little rainfall.)

Recently, it appears midwinter storms diverted from the Atlantic to north of the Pyrenees and the Alps, brought wetter conditions to Central Europe and drought to the Eastern Mediterranean.

Drought or famine will cause people to get up and go.

(Source for above here.  A TEDed video “Rise and Fall of the Assyrian Empire” included here.)

Still, the word is, people should be careful with tools. And volcanoes.

Any suggestion of chunking activists or politicians into volcanoes is firmly rejected.

“Transparently absurd.” Gotta love that.

Thinking retooled.

Phil, the Philosopher Mouse of the Hedge.

Definitely would not have worked for the ancient Assyrian army. Eco-friendly, PETA approved Chariot Race at New Zealand’s Piha Surf Club carnival in 1938. (USPD/Commons.wikimedia.org)

 

 

 

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