NationStates Jolt Archive

Why shouldn't a country be isolationist? Why not practice autarky?

I smell troll.

How isolationist? Japan isolationist or not participating in world affairs isolationist?

I smell troll.

Lol

Because given modern communications and lifestyles, it's pretty much impossible to do so and maintain them.

Then there's the small problem of feeding everyone, a lot of countries have to import a chunk of their food.

A bunch of reasons, in no particular order:

Countries don't do things, people do. When you're saying "a country should be isolationist", you're really saying "people who live here shouldn't be allowed to have contacts with people who live somewhere else". That's a pretty chunky violation of their freedom.

Since Adam Smith's time (and even before then) people were talking about international trade as a useful/good thing. The easiest and most sensible justification is that economies can in fact specialise in certain things if trade is allowed, and specialisation allows for better production and lower costs. So the world pie grows a bit bigger everytime someone is allowed to trade.

Isolationism is also hardly a new idea. Maybe the most obvious example is China, which declared that it had nothing to learn or gain from the rest of the world (and you can see why they would have thought so at the time) some time during the late middle ages and then proceeded to miss out on all the stuff that came out of Europe...until it really came in the form of British warships that pwned whatever China had to offer. Even though China was the most advanced, richest and most powerful nation on earth it fell to bits because of a policy that favoured isolationism (among other reasons). It's just got a bad track record because if you're open to the world new inventions and technologies can reach you from anywhere, while you miss out on them if you shut yourself in. No matter how advanced you start off as, you end up falling behind.

Since the beginning of human civilisation different ways of life have come together and competed or mixed. That hasn't always been peaceful, but it seems to have been good for progress. The few places where this hasn't happened (Aboriginal Australia for example or other very remote tribal areas) have remained largely static for incredibly long amounts of time. The cultures have certainly developed, but there was nothing to break out of the established ways of doing things. Now, if you were a really hardcore paleoconservative type, maybe you wouldn't mind, but most people would disagree.

Now, if you were a really hardcore paleoconservative type, maybe you wouldn't mind, but most people would disagree.

Which the OP is IIRC.

Because, in short, it is impossible. Try being fully isolationist, not simply not intervening in major global conflicts and crises, and you find it is impossible. How does the US continue to operate in isolation, bereft of global oil reserves? How do you inform multinational companies and corporations such as Microsoft that out-sourcing and global presence is now illegal?

Which the OP is IIRC.
To each his own, I guess.

But I find the idea that a society can go 40 milennia without significant change depressing more than anything.

To each his own, I guess.

But I find the idea that a society can go 40 milennia without significant change depressing more than anything.

As the old saying goes: "If it ain't broke, don't fix it."

Because, in short, it is impossible. Try being fully isolationist, not simply not intervening in major global conflicts and crises, and you find it is impossible. How does the US continue to operate in isolation, bereft of global oil reserves? How do you inform multinational companies and corporations such as Microsoft that out-sourcing and global presence is now illegal?

Who says we need oil? Ever heard of horses?

Do we really need computers? No. Mankind survived without them for thousands of years. All we need to do is have enough technical know-how to keep are nukes armed and people will leave us alone, in blessed isolation.

Autarky!? Ha! It's great if you want your economy destroyed.

"Autarky"? Malarkey!

Autarky!? Ha! It's great if you want your economy destroyed.

That's the point. To bring 'progress' to a halt. To turn the wheel of time back and then pop the tires, so an economy, one with money, stock markets, and other such nonsense is no longer needed; back to a time where people can make everything they need by themselves or in small communities.


Well, that's my point anyway.

Who says we need oil? Ever heard of horses?

Do we really need computers? No. Mankind survived without them for thousands of years. All we need to do is have enough technical know-how to keep are nukes armed and people will leave us alone, in blessed isolation.

Horses? Horses are big and expensive - I think mules are heartier and more cost-effective. ;)

We do need computers, however. Too much is on 'em. How you get to work, whether by bicycle or horse or car isn't as important as whether you can do your job without 3000 underlings sorting file cards, which computers let us do. :p

That's the point. To bring 'progress' to a halt. To turn the wheel of time back and then pop the tires, so an economy, one with money, stock markets, and other such nonsense is no longer needed; back to a time where people can make everything they need by themselves or in small communities.


Well, that's my point anyway.
Right. So instead of taking hours to go across the country, it will now take months and given how people now live miles away from their work places, far to long to ride to each day, that'll stop any and all urban areas. And damned if I know how you plan to feed everyone given we could no longer transport things and there's not enough arriable land for everyone to have his or her own little farm.

Oh, and you do sortta need computers to aim said nukes.

Right. So instead of taking hours to go across the country, it will now take months and given how people now live miles away from their work places, far to long to ride to each day, that'll stop any and all urban areas. And damned if I know how you plan to feed everyone given we could no longer transport things and there's not enough arriable land for everyone to have his or her own little farm.

Oh, and you do sortta need computers to aim said nukes.

There was an article a few months back by some eco-nut professor (no, not Ted Kaczynski :p) who was advocating for the abolition of technology, kinda like that. Too funny. :p

You're either a cultist or a troll. Since you hate computers so much.
GET OFF OF IT.



What is it about summer that brings these idiots out?!!
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Hate hate hate hate...