Prophet (Thanos) or Wizard (Tony Stark): How best to address environmental problems?

Overview

How can we create the kind of environment we want to live in? What can we all do to address the critically important issues of our time -- such as plastic waste and pollution, clean water supplies, food insecurity, environmental health, climate change? What approach(es) do you favor and why?

The first article below frames the 2019 Avengers Endgame movie as a clash between two environmental perspectives. One perspective is represented by Thanos, who says there is too much stress on environmental resources because there are too many people. His solution is to reduce the number of people in the universe to reduce demand on environmental resources. The other perspective is represented by the technical wizards (Tony Stark, Black Panther and so on) who believe technology is the solution. This framing of a clash between "prophets" and "wizards" comes from a book by Charles Mann (summarized in the second article below), who describes the "prophets" as those who think the solution to environmental problems is to return to a more simple way of interacting with the environment. Obviously, it's not so simple. We probably need a little of both the prophet and wizard perspectives. That is what this discussion is about. When should we follow the prophet perspective, and when is the wizard perspective appropriate? What do you think?

For this discussion, start by reading the first two articles:

The Environmental Politics of the Avengers Endgame (CNBC commentary 4/20/19)Links to an external site.

Are you a Wizard or a ProphetLinks to an external site.? (Review, Neo.life, 2/1/18)

[Additional review: Charles Mann's The Wizard and the Prophet (New York Times book review 1/31/18)]Links to an external site.

Then, think about where you fall on the "prophet -- wizard" continuum, where prophets would be at one extreme and wizards would be at the other extreme. Think about all that you have learned or been reminded of over the course of this class and describe your view of what we all (including yourself) should do to address the environmental issue we all face.

For full credit on the discussion:

1. Make one main post describing your view. This post should describe your view and give a justification that supports your view. There is no right or wrong answer here, but you should be able to explain why you take the position you take and why you think that is the best way to go.