Comments on: Ecology and Empire https://www.isegoria.net/2013/03/ecology-and-empire/ From the ancient Greek for equality in freedom of speech; an eclectic mix of thoughts, large and small Tue, 09 Jun 2026 23:12:50 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.6.1 By: Bob Sykes https://www.isegoria.net/2013/03/ecology-and-empire/comment-page-1/#comment-799731 Bob Sykes Sun, 17 Mar 2013 12:28:23 +0000 http://www.isegoria.net/?p=31146#comment-799731 Turchin’s books and articles are always interesting. While environmental determinism may not be true, neither is cultural determinism; the same problem as nurture-nature in another context. However, it is striking that the US has never incorporated either Canada or Mexico, and it does raise the issue as to whether our overseas possessions and Alaska are tenable.

]]> By: CMOT https://www.isegoria.net/2013/03/ecology-and-empire/comment-page-1/#comment-799179 CMOT Sat, 16 Mar 2013 21:46:14 +0000 http://www.isegoria.net/?p=31146#comment-799179 The Rhine is not the border between two differing biomes – its in the center of every biome it travels through. Yet Rome ruled one side of the Rhine for over 400 years, and failed to rule the other side for any length of time.

The reason was culture. The Romans didn’t win all their battles, but every time they meant to take an opponent’s fixed assets, sooner or later they did.

With such a small sample size I daresay I could use math to make just about point about civilization that I wanted to. Wouldn’t make any of them right.

The Gauls were a settled people with lots of fixed assets called “towns” and they ere ruled by Rome. The Germans didn’t, and weren’t.

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