downturn

Updated: January 12, 2026

In the absence of adequate preparation the result is the chaos incident to every downturn of the private enterprise business cycle, magnified in this case by the regressive forces released during the disintegration of the entire social fabric. Two other areas require a word of comment. Among human faculties are ambition, imagination, ingenuity, inventiveness, creativity.

Scott Nearing - Civilization and Beyond: Learning from History