By Gordon Rugg
There was a classic article on Pharyngula recently about a group who donned bright yellow t-shirts to announce the imminent end of the world. It’s far from the first time that this announcement has been made; it’s probably not going to be the last.
So why do people keep making this announcement? Do they really believe that this time is going to be different, or is there something deeper going on?
As you might have guessed, usually there’s something deeper going on. The same underlying principle crops up in a wide range of forms, and is particularly prominent in politics, where it can cause a lot of problems.
The explanation begins with a topic that we discussed recently on this blog, namely expressive behaviour. It then moves on to systems theory, luxury, sex and power. The end of the world is a fine, rich topic…
http://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/2015/10/07/they-had-t-shirts-made/
Originally posted on: http://www.rifuture.org/world-ends-today-see-you-tomorrow.html
(Image used under fair use terms, as part of an academic article about background theory.)
hyde and rugg 