The destruction of the Arecibo telescope in Puerto Rico by neglect, with no plans to replace it, was just one of many tragedies last year, but it hit me personally very hard.
Now, China's FAST appears to have risen as a replacement -- a potent symbol.
undark.org/2021/04/13/chi…
Now, China's FAST appears to have risen as a replacement -- a potent symbol.
undark.org/2021/04/13/chi…
Like much of the decaying infrastructure of the United States, the Arecibo telescope was built in the social-democratic period, before neoliberalism. It was not only a matter of pride for Puerto Rico, but also a tool used by scientists around the world.
What does it mean for the US empire that such infrastructure can, it seems, no longer be maintained? Or that no plan by which to systematically replace it is anywhere on the horizon?
What does it mean, or perhaps more importantly what else does it imply for global power politics, that China's FAST arrived right on time for the world's scientists to use it instead?
Neither the US nor the Chinese system is actually democratic, which is what socialists care about. Each in its own way is a powerful enemy of democracy. But one knows how to plan the economy, and one has forgotten it. We ought to internalize this & make our own plans accordingly.
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