This is a continuation of the previous post on Plato and Climate Change. The character PLATO is portrayed by Claude.ai.
ACT I, SCENE I: Oil company CEOs, Tech Leaders and powerful heads of state have come together in a secret meeting after the G8 summit to affirm their unwillingness to wean themselves off of fossil fuels in spite of what they say publicly. Suddenly, there is a technical glitch in their powerpoint presentation, the lights flicker, the winds blow and when the power comes back on, what appears to be a hologram of (could it be?) Plato, the Greek philosopher standing before them. Their lead spokesperson, a charming silver fox of a man in his mid 60s named Mr. Glaucon, is convinced that this must be a prank or a hacking stunt by climate activists. But no, it is real! It is Plato, mysteriously transported from ancient times. He begins to speak, full of sourness and condemnation for their excesses.
PLATO: *looks sternly upon the assembled leaders* Men of influence! Your greed blinds you to doom. Temper your appetites to spare future generations misery. Redirect this wealth - sow seeds of wisdom that all may harvest moderation. Will you keep heating a diseased limb while the body wastes away? Or heal the whole?
MR. GLAUCON: I am sorry sir, but what exactly do you mean?
PLATO: Your policies gorge short-term greed but starve humanity's soul. You have power to curb excess, yet stagnate in shadows conspiring over crumbs while the feast rots. I ask plainly: will you educate in justice, or teach through suffering? The choice falls to leaders first. Will you now tend the saplings - or wait till all forests burn? The future awaits your care.
MR. GLAUCON: “I think you mean our *futures* await our care.
(Attendees chuckle)
PLATO: *Eyes the chuckling attendees sternly* The future cares not for singular legacies carved in sand as tides rise. Yours may stand tall today yet fall tomorrow. True vision sees past this moment’s monuments toward horizons unmapped. Lead there with courage. Guide others. This conference must surrender old ways, birth new light. I ask again: Will you plant seeds of wisdom? Or hoard false riches while the soil erodes? Choose wisely.
MR. GLAUCON: With all due respect, Mr. Plato, what you don’t seem to understand is that the world needs us to do our job. They need fuel to heat their homes, gasoline in their tanks to visit grandma on the weekend, natural gas in their stoves to cook delicious meals and electricity to power their hospitals, schools and workplaces. Our job is to make sure the oil keeps flowing and the profits keep coming in. Without profits, we can’t keep our shareholders and investors happy, and without them, we can’t drill more, extract more and explore more–and then what would happen to those “saplings” you refer to? A future without oil is a return to the dark ages!
(Audience applauds approvingly)
PLATO: Your truth rings hollow, its wells run dry. Earth's bounty wasted on endless toil buys not happiness but greater want. True leadership sees beyond this addiction's pale specter; withdrawal pains precede health. Guide prudently - upstream reforms avert downstream floods. Plant now seeds of restraint; harvests of innovation shall feed generations yet unborn. Or persist in this pursuit of false riches? More drill no oracle. I say again: Rechannel wealth's torrents - let wisdom, not want guide your hands. Before time's tides, all folly falls.
MR. GLAUCON: Alright, alright, settle down Mr. Plato. What specifically would you have us do?
PLATO: First: An olive branch - affirm our shared hopes before defining roads diverged. Your industries powered progress - none dispute. Yet progress outpaced our wisdom - it too must quicken. Next: Fund full inquiry of truth - let science guide unbound by want's gravity. If data demands new direction, leadership requires first steps. Blaze trails toward justice. Then: Cultivate education's gardens rich in ideals bore of goodness, truth, moderation; dispel shadows of ignorance fueling excess. Enlighten human dignity through knowledge not greed. Finally: Wield influence for sustainable laws and economies that curb extremes of wealth and waste which dominate culture. Fairness in capital and carbon pave new paths. The destination remains unsure, the voyage long. But venture first steps with courage worthy of honored ancestors. Lead away from darkness into dawn.
MR. GLAUCON: Could you translate your lofty prose and high ideals into simpler and more concrete terms that our constituents, investors, shareholders and board members can understand? What practical, specific “investments” do you think we ought to be making to “cultivate education’s gardens?” And if you’re able to, please try not to speak like you’re a character from a goddamn lord of the rings novel!
(Audience chuckles more loudly at this, but Plato sees that his rhetorical style is landing flat on this croud, so he shifts to a more familiar American-style of speaking)
PLATO: *Shifts tone, adopting a more casual stance* Alright look folks, let's talk turkey here. You want specific investments? Put big money into schools, libraries, museums - places that shape young minds and public understanding. Fund creative educational shows and apps that make science fun and capture kids' imagination early. Support innovative teachers and projects that get youth excited about nature, invention, discovery. While you're at it, think tanks and non-profits can't hurt either. Help counter all those flashy ads pumping materialism and consumption 24/7. And maybe ease up on donations to politicians blocking progress on climate initiatives. That'd be a nice gesture. Bottom line - if you really believe the PR spin about "securing our shared future", put major dollars into the stuff that actually shapes what future gets created - starting with young minds and public discourse. Lead towards the light instead of just drilling into darkness. That concrete enough for ya?
MR. GLAUCON (smiling widely): Well, gee Mr. Plato, why didn’t you just say that in the first place?
(Audience laughs again)
MR. GLAUCON: But now our time is getting short and we’ve got to wrap things up in time to get over to the golf course. But I assure you Mr. Plato that we will continue this discussion on our own and see if we can make some of those so-called “moral” investments without hurting our bottom line too much. I do thank you for your time––it has certainly been enlightening for all of us.
(Plato reverts back to his more natural style of speaking, issues one final warning about the corrupting effects of greed and consumption on their very own souls, then vanishes once more)
PLATO: *nods solemnly* The hour grows late - but not too late for wisdom's light to dawn. May your souls yet heed its call. *vanishes in a flash of light*