X-Message-Number: 22775 Date: Thu, 6 Nov 2003 08:07:09 -0500 From: Thomas Donaldson <> Subject: CryoNet #22772 - #22774 Once more about the myth of overpopulation (this time for James Swayze) I note the comment about religions forbidding birth control as a reason for increase in population. Small problem with this is that Western Catholic countries, which have attained prosperity, such as Italy and Spain, suffer no problems of overpopulation at all. For some mysterious reason the number of children they produce isn't as high as it ought to be if no birth control is used. Are all those people cheating? Well, even the Catholic church recognizes some forms of birth control, so if the absence of children is noticed possible parents have a fine excuse. I'd also point out that even a rough, approximate form of birth control can have significant & even dominating roles in population growth. Basically as our lifespans increase I expect (except in the case of colonization of other bodies in the Universe) that even the least educated among those with increasing lifespans will find that it's simply not to their advantage to produce more children who will ultimately compete with them for jobs, food, housing, etc. Colonization of course is a special case: if available resources are great enough why should we restrain our production of children? But once a solar system is filled, the colonists too will restrain their birth rates just like those who live in other "full" places. Some population growth can happen not because resources are fixed but because we learn how to produce new resources. Agriculture itself gives the best historical case, but no doubt similar growth will happen with other, newer technologies at different times. And if you want to choose Africa as an example, then do so. Here we have an example of various tinpot dictators, for the sake of their own glory, actually DECREASING the resources of their country. And just as expected, the people will then revolt, starve, or sometimes both revolt and starve. Best wishes and long long life for all, Thomas Donaldson Rate This Message: http://www.cryonet.org/cgi-bin/rate.cgi?msg=22775