Autonomy

There’s a fuel supply crisis in the UK at the moment. Motorists are panicking and there are long queues at every petrol station that still has stock. It is a reminder of how much we depend on modern infrastructure, and ironic that a car, that most of the time provides more independence for one’s transportation needs than say public transport, now offers less. Depending on where one lives, and what alternative transportation methods are available, lack of fuel could be a big, life threatening even, problem.

Presumably owners of electric vehicles feel doubly smug right now. They don’t depend on dirty fuel, they can still enjoy the freedom that their car provides knowing they can recharge it at home whenever needed. But hang on, how is the electricity at home generated? Virtually everyone purchases it from the grid, and yes, currently the electricity supply is uninterrupted but can we see a scenario where there are power cuts, and electricity is rationed?

We don’t have to worry about such scenarios too often as the modern infrastructure usually works very well. But the more complex this infrastructure is the more we are dependent on it and the worse the consequences are if it breaks down.

My grandparents were much less dependent on factors outside their control. They were farmers in a rural setting, growing their own food and getting water from wells. They had no electricity. Their transportation was donkeys and mules. Their life was very hard, but there was very little that could severely disrupt it. In comparison we live like kings. But we are way more vulnerable to disruptions from things well outside our control.

Is it possible to have the best of both worlds? Can we enjoy all the luxuries the modern world provides but also have more autonomy for the basics? You don’t have to consider extreme post-apocalyptic scenarios to appreciate the appeal of having at least one’s basic needs covered with as little dependence on factors outside our control as possible.

We could have electricity provided by renewable sources. Photovoltaic panels on our roofs plus some small wind turbine, with enough batteries to store much of the excess production to ensure uninterrupted supply. An electric vehicle. Enough tools and machinery to do DIY repairs. Food and water survival kits.

Would that be enough? Would it even matter? In a mild disruption scenario, surely one is better off avoiding the hassle of all his elaborate setup and just paying up for whatever is the best alternative at the prevailing black market price. In a complete society breakdown, how would one protect their property anyway? I’m going to stop short of contemplating extreme survivalists’ approaches with nuclear bunkers and enough guns and ammo to have a small army. The reason most people don’t go down that path is that it is incompatible with enjoying life as part of a modern well functioning society. The latter hinges on giving up autonomy in exchange for a better quality of life. Any half measure as the one described above is partially regressing on that front. Much like traveling back in time, maybe not all the way to my grandparents generation but perhaps my parents. Given the choice to do it we would not. Because we prefer the present, with all the benefits it brings most of the time, and we accept the risk that sometimes things may temporarily be disrupted.

So autonomy is a pipe dream and we are rationally better off just going with the flow and accepting that we fully depend on the continued existence of a well functioning modern society and infrastructure. But going through this thought process and rationalizing it makes one appreciate this infrastructure. The thought that it’s rationally better to be part of it, accepting the tail risk of being helpless if it breaks down, is both reassuring and exhilarating.

We are indeed lucky to live in the present era, and have the luxury to complain about petrol shortages. And we are right to complain, and hopefully trigger some improvements in the processes and the infrastructure that further improves our lives, as has been the case throughout history. What we have purchased by paying with our autonomy is absolutely worth it.