this post was submitted on 21 Nov 2025
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[–] fizzle@quokk.au 0 points 1 month ago (3 children)

I don't think that's a fair comparison.

An ecosystem contains many species at equilibrium, but the ecosystem itself consumes all available resources.

Similarly, companies within a capitalist system maintain a kind of equilibrium, but the system itself will consume all available resources.

[–] kent_eh@lemmy.ca 2 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (1 children)

An ecosystem contains many species at equilibrium, but the ecosystem itself consumes all available resources.

But that equilibrium can be maintained by those resources being replenished within the ecosystem through the actions of components of that ecosystem.

In our example, that's not happening. The resources are being exploited and not replaced.

[–] fizzle@quokk.au 1 points 1 month ago

That's true, but it doesn't respond to the point I was making.

The comment I replied to was comparing an entire system to a single component within a system.

[–] naught101@lemmy.world 2 points 1 month ago

The problem is the concept of externalities, which means that capitalism will happily overshoot our sustainable resource base, and then collapse. It's the Minsky Moment at ecological scales.

[–] the_q@lemmy.zip 1 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Explain how an ecosystem consumes all available resources.

[–] fizzle@quokk.au 1 points 1 month ago (1 children)

This seems obvious to me. By definition, an ecosystem includes all inputs.

[–] the_q@lemmy.zip 1 points 1 month ago

Well explain it like I'm an idiot.