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February 12 2019 Review of Retrotopia by John Michael Greer (c) 2016 ; Founders House Publishing, LLC After reading James Kunstler's very enjoyable 'World Made by Hand' quadrilogy I was curious how other might spin a post-collapse American tale of life after fossil fuels and climate change. I've read several of Greer's non-fiction books which I mostly enjoyed (I'll likely write up some of them soon) and was looking forward to seeing what he might do in a work of fiction. Retrotopia takes place a bit later after "the event" than the World Made by Hand series. In 2065 the US has been partitioned into several republics following the 2nd civil war. Peter Carr is an emissary of the Atlantic republic (mid-Atlantic area) sent to the neighboring republic of Lakeland (Great lakes area) now that the borders have recently been opened up. Ellen Montrose, the newly elected president of the Atlantic republic has run on a "Change" platform and is looking to make radical changes based on rumored unorthodox ways adopted in neighboring Lakeland. What Carr discovers is that, despite being landlocked and enduring IMF trade embargoes, Lakeland has become quite prosperous by systematically reconsidering foundational notions of Progress and the true cost-benefits of technological complexity. As novels go, Greer's story started off a bit wooden but got more interesting as the plot unfolded. It's almost entirely written in first person from Peter Carr's point of view. To my ear, Greer tends to come off a bit preachy (watch some of his Youtube lecture videos and you'll likely agree) but he is a deep thinker and worth listening to, so I read Retrotopia mostly to glean what the author thinks a sustainable, post-collapse society might look like. That said, it's an engaging enough story that most will likely finish. So as not to spoil the tale for anyone wishing to read Retrotopia I'm just going to focus on the structural aspects of the Lakeland republic and general ideas being conveyed. Lakeland has essentially mined the past for ways of doing things with the least amount of resource, technology and energy inputs. They also recognized that urban areas would likely have different needs than rural agricultural communities so they've adopted technology tiers ranging from tier 1 (1830s level) through tier 5 (1950s level) which each county chooses -- and pays for via taxes -- itself. A tier 1 county doesn't preclude residents adopting higher level technology for themselves but they have to bear all the extra cost. For the most part the cities have electric lights, streetcars, a phone system, sealed roadways, and a few wealthy folks have autos (bio-diesel; taxed separately). Rural areas tend towards tier 1 with gravel roads, no electricity, radio telegraph communications. Farming is largely horse-powered though some opt for powered implements at an intermediate tier level. While the story does involve some tours of the rural counties most of the story takes place in the capital city of Toledo which offers a more diverse display of life in the republic of Lakeland. Taxation: Aside from the tier taxes, there are specific taxes which are levied based on the principle of taxing that which is to be discouraged. Thus private autos are heavily taxed since they pollute. Interestingly, earned income is tax free while investment income is taxed. Energy: Tier 5 (cities) generate electricity from bio-gas via manure bought from surrounding farmlands. The leftover sludge is returned as fertilizer. Many homes use direct solar for space and water heating, and/or wood. Cars, trucks, farm implements use either bio-gas or bio-diesel. Beasts of burden make up the rest. Watercraft are either wind powered or towed via mules (canal boats). Transportation: Inter-republic is via trains (bio-diesel electric?), both freight and passengers. Bulk shipping is done via tall sail ships on the lakes or canal boats (mule powered). Horse cabs are used locally as well as some trucks and cars, depending on circumstances and tax tier. Streetcars are common in electrified areas with higher population. Manufacturing: Much is done manually as automation is considered not to be in the best interest of society and so is heavily taxed, making labor the more economical choice. Interestingly, things like social security are not bore by employers but by the government. Schooling: Primary education is controlled at the county level and largely focused on what used to be called the "3Rs", reading, writing, arithmetic and supplemented with whatever the county deems relevant. Higher education is largely accomplished via apprenticeships; only a few fields are considered scholarly enough for a stint at university. This is actually how things were done prior to say 1900; even doctors learned via apprenticeship. Religion: All are allowed but all pay tier taxes and are not insulated from legal action if they incite violence or other anti-civil actions. News and information: Paper-based; everyone carries a notebook and pen in their pocket or purse. Newspapers are back and popular, with morning and evening editions plus the occasional Extra! Phones are used in the city, shortwave radio and radio-telegraph are used for long-distance communications. This is contrasted to other republics which have an expensive Metanet which subsequently fails as satellites start smashing into each other due to over-crowding of the stationary orbits. Healthcare: Most physicians are general practitioners and work on salary, hired as just another employee by companies. Assessment is old-school and low-tech; treatment is largely herbal. Serious illness is referred to specialists like surgeons. There is mention of health insurance but it's not clear how it's structured. Corporations: No more corporate person-hood. Corporations are of limited duration, and must be for the accomplishment of specific goals like building a canal. This basically the form corporations had in an earlier time. Stocks and bonds are issued and traded in the usual way. Military: Everyone serves 2 years. Focus is on insurgent tactics, basically low tech but effective targeting of the higher tech weaponry used by likely opponents. Past invasions by neighboring republics were won by bankrupting the enemy, waiting them out while targeting their drones with anti-aircraft rocket launchers. A good real-life example of this strategy is the Taliban in Afghanistan who have withstood both the Russians and the Americans. Essentially Greer uses the story to drive home a common theme of his, that Progress beyond a certain point become the enemy of Prosperity as the costs of technological complexity pile up and the benefits diminish. He also explores the idea of ideals and technologies having a finite "notional space", i.e. what is creatively achievable within a genre of music is subject to diminishing returns as it's notional space is filled over time. Greer argues that something similar is true for various technologies and Progress in general; at some point the truly useful and/or meaningful output is exhausted and beyond that the signal turns increasingly to noise. It's an interesting way to look at things and dovetails nicely with his last point, that we should view the past as a resource of ideas to be mined rather than an irrelevance.