Munich Personal RePEc ArchiveOn the Origin of Mass Extinctions: Darwin’s Nontrivial ErrorMattFunkauthorDarwin's "Origin" launched evolution into theoretical orbit and it continues to influence its course. This magnum opus detailed a tenable solution to the most fundamental problem of human existence, and although this Promethean vision contains sundry trivial flaws, there is, however, one nontrivial error which misguides several crucial developments – not only in the evolving structure of evolutionary theory, but across the entire spectrum of science, including politico-economics. This problem has led social and evolutionary theorists alike to mistakenly favour earth-based inputs over cosmic inputs, to over-emphasize biological evolution, and to under-emphasize stellar evolution. These methodological and logical errors have, in turn, emphasized the significance of the individual “struggle against competitors” over the cooperative “struggle against inclement environments”, and thus, as a result, fashionable theories relating to Global Warming, The Problem of Sustainable Economic Development, and The Tragedy of the Commons have been erected on a false foundations – and, moreover, point toward inherently unstable solutions. And to these salient points, in light of the theory presented here, we discover that the effective coordination of global threat mitigation efforts requires unprecedented levels of international politico-economic cooperation.Q51 - Valuation of Environmental EffectsQ54 - Climate ; Natural Disasters and Their Management ; Global WarmingQ57 - Ecological Economics: Ecosystem Services ; Biodiversity Conservation ; Bioeconomics ; Industrial Ecology2009-11-09MPRA Paper

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