I don’t know of any case of the collapse of a technological civilization. If you want to stretch the definition of “technological” you can find something in the BC eras, but that isn’t very relevant.
So what’s your definition of a “technological civilization”? Can you give another example of one? Otherwise this sounds like your arguing that you are immortal because no one exactly like you has ever died.
For example, lead and copper production create characteristic types of atmospheric pollution so we can get estimates for historical world production levels from Greenland ice cores. The resulting graph for lead shows two peaks, corresponding to ancient Rome and modern civilization. The graph for copper shows three peaks, the two for lead and also Song dynasty China. The peaks are surrounded by troughs, eg, world lead production wouldn’t return to Roman levels until the 18th century, so in that sense we can objectively say that technological civilizations have collapsed in the past.
So what’s your definition of a “technological civilization”?
For the purposes of this discussion I’ll define it as a civilization sufficiently advanced to be become global. The relevant point is that no local calamity will extinguish it, you need a planet-wide adverse event to collapse it. I think XVII century and later would count as such.
Dying out of local societies, cultures, cities, states, etc. has, of course, been a very common occurrence throughout history.
For the purposes of this discussion I’ll define it as a civilization sufficiently advanced to be become global. The relevant point is that no local calamity will extinguish it,
The problem is that the global nature of civilization can also cause calamities to become global.
The Roman Empire was more global than its predecessors but was still fallen mainly by internally generated calamities.
One generation passeth away, and another generation cometh: but the earth abideth for ever.
The sun also ariseth, and the sun goeth down, and hasteth to his place where he arose.
The wind goeth toward the south, and turneth about unto the north; it whirleth about continually, and the wind returneth again according to his circuits.
All the rivers run into the sea; yet the sea is not full; unto the place from whence the rivers come, thither they return again.
All things are full of labour; man cannot utter it: the eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear filled with hearing.
The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun.
So what’s your definition of a “technological civilization”? Can you give another example of one? Otherwise this sounds like your arguing that you are immortal because no one exactly like you has ever died.
For example, lead and copper production create characteristic types of atmospheric pollution so we can get estimates for historical world production levels from Greenland ice cores. The resulting graph for lead shows two peaks, corresponding to ancient Rome and modern civilization. The graph for copper shows three peaks, the two for lead and also Song dynasty China. The peaks are surrounded by troughs, eg, world lead production wouldn’t return to Roman levels until the 18th century, so in that sense we can objectively say that technological civilizations have collapsed in the past.
For the purposes of this discussion I’ll define it as a civilization sufficiently advanced to be become global. The relevant point is that no local calamity will extinguish it, you need a planet-wide adverse event to collapse it. I think XVII century and later would count as such.
Dying out of local societies, cultures, cities, states, etc. has, of course, been a very common occurrence throughout history.
The problem is that the global nature of civilization can also cause calamities to become global.
The Roman Empire was more global than its predecessors but was still fallen mainly by internally generated calamities.
Life is not static. All empires fall eventually.