: Dear Robert, who lied to you? Perhaps you should open your eyes a bit wider and read some of the info presented to the general public at every turn. Overpopulation is a cold hard reality.No. Externalities are a cold, hard reality; over-population is a subsequent result of this phenomenon. Due to ill-defined property rights and overadvocation of publicly produced goods, people behave in different manners than they other wise would. As "commons" die out and prosperity increases people personally regulate their output of offspring.
: By telling others it is not, you are harming them, not helping them. It would be wonderful if we could all have our "quivers full" but as many countries are realizing, the earth has is limits. All over the world people are feeling the results. Ever heard of starving people in third world countries?
Yes. And over-whelmingly due to political machinations of ruling tribes and parties.
: : Do you not understand that by advocating an "overpopulation" position, that you are placing yourself up as a superiorist. That is, of course, unless you are willing to take YOUR own life first, however stupid that might be.
"Over-population" is a category of the mind, as Kant would say, and is not directly referenced by observable phenomena. A more rational, and descriptive, categorization would be ill-sustained growth; but, caused by arrested social evolution and not number of births.
: Perhaps you have a degree in assumption.
Maybe. But if his is a BA yours is a Ph.D.
: Are you mistaking reality with superiority? So far as I know, population control tactics have been about birth control and education, not suicide. But when the earth becomes uninhabitable that will be taken out of our hands.
: : Why is it always someone else's life that needs to be denied (present or future)? Is it just to satisfy your guilt, or perhaps your lavish creature comforts that someone else might inconvenience you for?
: Obviously, you have not taken the time to read anything about the present population problems, greenhouse effects, or global warming.
These are mostly scare tactics from politicians, such as Al Gore, designed to enhance their electability; and, from would-be Platonic Philosopher-Kings who make their arguments from politically-driven academia. The most extreme warming model predicts an increase of 1.3 degrees C in the next 100 years and this figure is a dramatic drop from even 5 years ago. Funny though, many scientists and economists point out that this warming trend is good and not bad for humanity as most warming takes place during winter nights in temperate climates. Thus, farming productivity and plant, especially tree, growth is the biggest development.
: You must realize that the earth is not our personal candy shop. ALL humans have the same requirements. Clean air, water, food supplies, and so on. If it becomes uninhabited for one, it becomes so for all. So if you really care about human life as you claim, this would concern you greatly, as it does so many others. This does not have to be a doomsday message if people are educated and responsible.
As resources become more valuable through greater numbers of people "commons" will become untenable as they are continuously over-utilized.
: : I can think of few things more arrogant.
: You said it.
: : As I've stated before, spiritual communism has the "doomsday" message contained within it's doctrine. "Overpopulation" is a classic one. This is to scare those, who would be, into unifying under a materialists' religion.
: Come out from under your rock and listen to the world news now and then. Read a bit. It is not a secret. The world population will reach 6 billion, this october. This figure doubles every 35 years. It only takes a little logic to understand what this can mean. People of many faiths world wide are heeding this message and altering their lifestyles.
Mmm, off the top of my head, Jeremy Rifkin prophesied in 1975[?] Population Bomb that by 2000 we would have some 10 billion and that global rationing would already set in. Human beings change their behavior in relation to the readily available opportunities offered to them; rationally they choose the best alternative, according to their subjective evaluations.
As commons continue to be privatized we will see a continued drop in the doubling effect. Commons are always over-utilized under a politically driven system as there is no profit motive to conserve.
: : Please inform all that:
: : Children are an inheritence of the Lord and Blessed is the man whose quiver is full. The world is NOT overpopulated.
: Robert, like many of my fellow country men, I enjoy such creature comforts as sanitation, clean water, food. Many people are right along side me recycling, refilling containers, using public transportation, and minimizing our consumption and waste, and I assure you the birth control clinic is always full when I go. Ironically(perhaps) women the world over are enjoying the freedom of being allowed to work and make their own decisions and when given this opportunity, are making the choice not to have children, once they are not required to rely on a mans support. This has been especially noted in countries where it is not the norm for women to work.
And this is a perfect example of why not to worry. Individuals given a specific sphere of guaranteed influence optimally choose what's best for themselves.
: We do not live among magic springs that supply eternal natural resources. These things, such as oxygen, are supplied by the earth. The more trees cut down, the less oxygen, for example. Now it only stands to reason that it takes more oxygen for more people. Exactly where does this come from? Perhaps you know something the scientists and environmental experts don't. But I will have to go with them on this one, sorry Robert. Lucky for you, you do not live in China!
: Karen
Yeah. The centrally-funded "experts" differ in their prophesies from those outside the world of this sort of political economy. The most they have is some empirical data telling of minor changes. As David Hume would say: "Post hoc ergo propter hoc". Correlation, my friend, does not imply causation.
