Ronald Wright
Ronald Wright
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#### Full Name and Common Aliases
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Ronald Wright is a renowned Canadian historian, author, and professor best known for his work on the rise of industrial capitalism and its impact on society.
#### Birth and Death Dates
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Born in 1948, little information is publicly available regarding Ronald Wright's exact date of birth. Unfortunately, there are no records indicating his passing or death date either.
#### Nationality and Profession(s)
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A citizen of Canada, Wright has had a distinguished career as a historian, author, and professor. He is best known for his work on the consequences of industrial capitalism, an area that he pioneered with his 1994 book A History of Broadview, which laid the groundwork for numerous subsequent explorations.
#### Early Life and Background
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Growing up in Canada, Wright's early life shaped his future academic pursuits. His family, who were farmers, instilled in him a deep appreciation for the land and its bounty. This upbringing may have contributed to his interest in exploring the impact of industrial capitalism on society.
Wright's educational background is also notable. He pursued higher education at various institutions, which provided him with a solid foundation in history, economics, and social sciences. His academic credentials and expertise eventually led to his appointment as a professor at several prestigious universities.
#### Major Accomplishments
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Ronald Wright's work on the effects of industrial capitalism has been groundbreaking. He is perhaps most famous for coining the concept "long emergency," which refers to an impending global crisis resulting from our relentless pursuit of growth and consumption in an ever-shrinking world.
His writings have been widely praised for their thought-provoking insights into societal issues, including climate change, economic inequality, and resource depletion. Wright's work serves as a warning about the consequences of prioritizing short-term gains over long-term sustainability.
#### Notable Works or Actions
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Some of Wright's notable works include:
A History of Broadview (1994), which explores the effects of industrial capitalism on society.
A Short History of Progress (2004), which examines how human progress has been hindered by our pursuit of growth and consumption at any cost.
Wright has also been a vocal advocate for sustainable living, renewable energy, and environmental conservation. His work continues to inspire discussions about the need for more equitable and environmentally conscious development models.
#### Impact and Legacy
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Ronald Wright's contributions to the field of history and social sciences are significant. He is widely recognized as one of the pioneers in exploring the consequences of industrial capitalism on society.
His ideas have resonated with scholars, policymakers, and the general public alike, inspiring a new generation of thinkers and activists who seek to address the pressing issues of our time.
Wright's legacy extends beyond his written works; he has also influenced policy debates at both local and international levels. His advocacy for sustainable development models has led to increased awareness about the importance of prioritizing long-term sustainability over short-term gains.
#### Why They Are Widely Quoted or Remembered
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Ronald Wright is widely quoted or remembered due to his groundbreaking work on the effects of industrial capitalism, which continues to resonate with audiences today. His thought-provoking ideas and advocacy for sustainable development have made him a respected figure in academic circles and beyond.
Wright's commitment to exploring complex societal issues has left an indelible mark on our understanding of the world. His work serves as a reminder of the importance of prioritizing long-term sustainability over short-term gains, inspiring readers to think critically about the world we live in and our place within it.
Quotes by Ronald Wright
The perfection of hunting spelled the end of hunting as a way of life. Easy meat meant more babies. More babies meant more hunters. More hunters, sooner or later, meant less game. Most of the great human migrations across the world at this time must have been driven by want, as we bankrupted the land with our moveable feasts.
Benjamin Disraeli had anticipated Erewhon’s fears in his novel Coningsby: “The mystery of mysteries,” he wrote, “is to view machines making machines, a spectacle that fills the mind with curious and even awful speculation.
To use a computer analogy, we are running twenty-first-century software on hardware last upgraded 50,000 years ago or more. This may explain quite a lot of what we see in the news.
the most compelling reason for reforming our system is that the system is in no one's interest. It is a suicide machine.
Like most problems with technology, pollution is a problem of scale. The biosphere might have been able to tolerate our dirty old friends coal and oil if we burned them gradually, but how long can it withstand a blaze of consumption so frenzied that the dark size of this planet glows like a fanned ember in the night of space.
Like all creatures, humans have made their way in the world by trial and error. Unlike other creatures we have a presence so colossal that error is a luxury we can no longer afford. The world has grown too small to forgive us any big mistakes.
Even today, some opt for the comforts of mystification, preferring to believe that the wonders of the ancient world were built by Atlanteans, gods, or space travelers, instead of by thousands toiling in the sun. Such thinking robs our forerunners of their due, and us of their experience. Because then one can believe whatever one likes about the past - without having to confront the bones, potsherds, and inscriptions which tell us that people all over the world, time and again, have made similar advances and mistakes.
Capitalism lures us onward like the mechanical hare before the greyhounds, insisting that the economy is infinite and sharing therefore irrelevant. Just enough greyhounds catch a real hare now and then to keep the others running till they drop. In the past it was only the poor who lost this game; now it is the planet.
America seemed a virgin land waiting for civilization. But Europe had made the wilderness it found; America was not a virgin, she was a widow.