The Population Bomb: How We Survived It

[GeoffC]

Originally Posted by kennyc

Humanity is a virus on planet earth. It won't end well for us.

and it seems she is doing her best to shake us off, like dogs try with fleas on their back.

[Mortis]

My wife's family is huge, or rather would have been if it were not for the various diseases and the Japanese occupation. Her mother was 13 of 14 kids (only 3 remain alive) her father was 15 of 18 kids! there are only 2 kids left alive! My wife only has a brother and sister and less cousins than I do!

The number of childern families are having here seems to have leveled off at 3 per family some people are now saying that this is because people are more conservative! My personal theory is that you can't get more than 5 on a scooter at once!

Spoiler:

The population isn't going to slow down with out education and possibly an alien invasion!

[kennyc]

I don't know, looks like there's a bit of space for a baby backpack on the man.

[Enkidu of Abydos]

Originally Posted by Mortis

My personal theory is that you can't get more than 5 on a scooter at once!

Nope, it's because people had nothing better to do for entertainment in the dark ages then screw around all day long. Now people watch Big Brother all day long instead.

[dsvick]

Originally Posted by kennyc

According to Lam, that is something that never happened before and will never happen again.

And he knows this how? Or is he saying it wont be so slow next time?

Originally Posted by Steven Lyle Jordan

Again, I say humanity must reduce its population growth.

In short, the only reason we've "survived" is that we haven't been hit with the bomb's fallout yet.

The population is forcing humanity to put more and more of its support capacity on credit, and when the bill comes due, humanity will be in for a rude awakening.

I couldn't agree more, I'd even go so far as to say we should reduce the population. Eventually the bill will come due and there wont be any way to pay it except with a massive number of deaths. I'm putting my money on disease. As you pack more and more people together the rate at which diseases can spread will far out pace the rate at which they can be contained.

[DixieGal]

Seriously, we would still be living in trees were it not for selfishness, greed, and competition. Why is that bad now? Sharing the wealth (communism) is a silly concept. Without a goal of gaining money or power for yourself and family, no progress can be made.

That is why I think the future of our species lies in competition for wealth. The Google X prize is 20 million, plus additional extra cash for smaller wins, such as 5 million for safely sending your vehicle more than 50 meters from the landing site, etc. Private companies are doing it on a relative shoestring (it will hopefully come in under 20 million to do this, so maybe the winner will break even. Big reason to try hard to win. Otherwise, you lose big.)

NASA could never have done anything like it for such a low price tab in all its years of socially approved research. It takes greed and selfishness to progress, whether it be claiming the fruitiest branch on our particular tree or getting the best vehicle to the surface of the moon.

What was I saying? Oh yes, individual greed is good for the species. Also big population. There is plenty of space to spread out in the interiors of continents. Plenty of room to grow enough food, especially in some multilevel hydroponics farms that I heard about.

Let's breed wildly and get all of those people out competing to come out on top, then see how great and wide and creative our species really can become.

Yawn. It's mighty early to be up here on this soapbox with an empty coffee cup. Y'all go ahead and rip me a new one because I'm so selfish and backward. And comfortably well off because my husband and I like money and freedom. No plans to share it, nosirree.

I proudly shake my fruity branch in a display of wealth! Ook!

Jeez, I need more coffee.

(Most of the above is bullsh!t, you know that, right? Tim and I live simply and give to charity. I exaggerate to make my point that the population bomb is really a candy-filled party pinata, filled with potential goodness. H3ll, now I've sunk to metaphor. COFFEE PLEASE!!)

[kennyc]

It's all about competition, environment and survival of the fittest.

[GeoffC]

Originally Posted by kennyc

It's all about competition, environment and survival of the fittest.

Didn't someone already say that a few number of years ago

[DixieGal]

Originally Posted by kennyc

It's all about competition, environment and survival of the fittest.

That's what she said! (me )

[kennyc]

Originally Posted by DixieGal

That's what she said! (me )

Thought so.

[GeoffC]

and she is surviving !!! Well !

[wyndslash]

@dixie: have you read Walden II? the ideas are very interesting the writing techniques are not good, but that's not really important as the concepts the author wanted to convey (plus, BF Skinner was a failed writer)

[Steven Lyle Jordan]

Originally Posted by DixieGal

Seriously, we would still be living in trees were it not for selfishness, greed, and competition...

I was ready to comment, when I got to the end!

Okay, to be fair, we're not the only species that will overbreed and out-consume its surroundings (locusts come to mind), so we shouldn't be that hard on the natural breeding aspect of our psychology.

Unfortunately, we've used that desire to breed and molded it back into our culture, further reinforcing our psyches, to the extent that it seems unnatural to not have children... and it's a shame that people actually feel bad for not having children, even when local overpopulation or its adverse effects are clear, like they've let society down or denied themselves a fundamental human right or something.

For the record, my money is on disease as well. Antibiotic-resistant diseases, combined with dense populations, will likely decimate us. I used to think I'd most likely die at the hands of a careless driver of a Mac truck. Now I expect to die of a flu no one can cure.

[Enkidu of Abydos]

Originally Posted by DixieGal

Seriously, we would still be living in trees were it not for selfishness, greed, and competition. Why is that bad now? Sharing the wealth (communism) is a silly concept. Without a goal of gaining money or power for yourself and family, no progress can be made.

That is why I think the future of our species lies in competition for wealth. The Google X prize is 20 million, plus additional extra cash for smaller wins, such as 5 million for safely sending your vehicle more than 50 meters from the landing site, etc. Private companies are doing it on a relative shoestring (it will hopefully come in under 20 million to do this, so maybe the winner will break even. Big reason to try hard to win. Otherwise, you lose big.)

NASA could never have done anything like it for such a low price tab in all its years of socially approved research. It takes greed and selfishness to progress, whether it be claiming the fruitiest branch on our particular tree or getting the best vehicle to the surface of the moon.

What was I saying? Oh yes, individual greed is good for the species. Also big population. There is plenty of space to spread out in the interiors of continents. Plenty of room to grow enough food, especially in some multilevel hydroponics farms that I heard about.

Let's breed wildly and get all of those people out competing to come out on top, then see how great and wide and creative our species really can become.

Yawn. It's mighty early to be up here on this soapbox with an empty coffee cup. Y'all go ahead and rip me a new one because I'm so selfish and backward. And comfortably well off because my husband and I like money and freedom. No plans to share it, nosirree.

I proudly shake my fruity branch in a display of wealth! Ook!

Jeez, I need more coffee.

(Most of the above is bullsh!t, you know that, right? Tim and I live simply and give to charity. I exaggerate to make my point that the population bomb is really a candy-filled party pinata, filled with potential goodness. H3ll, now I've sunk to metaphor. COFFEE PLEASE!!)

Such a wonderfully darwinistic / capitalist manifesto and then you go and spoil it at the end... I was really enjoying reading it (even if I didn't agree with it completely) until the excuses in the end.
Be proud of what you are, whatever you are !

[wodin]

Just think what it'd be like if the pill hadn't been invented!

Gaia will survive, humanity has no guarantees.