Polybius

Statue of Polybius, Alois Düll, 1899 (Vienna, outside the Parliament of Austria).

David Warren's post today prompted me to comment:

When society collapses, the collapse will likely take the internet with it and all that old printed matter, printed on paper, will become valuable again. It will become so valuable you might think that all the old booksellers and hoarders are working together to ensure the collapse of civilization, as they are the only ones who will profit from it. But that would be unfair, because everyone is working very hard on the collapse. I say that because everyone is sure the collapse is coming (probably not for ten years, and maybe not even for 100), everyone can see we are headed for the cliff, but it's not a sharp drop off, at least not right away. We've gone over the peak and now we are just past level and starting on a downhill slope, but there is no danger, at least in the immediate view, and we are cruising, going 60, top down, sun shining, things couldn't be better. But the collapse is coming, but nobody knows what to do to stop it. Wait, that's not right, everybody knows what to do, but nobody can get enough people together to actually do anything about it. A detailed view of the economic situation might be the place to start.