The Biological You

[Anomalocaris]

Humans are plague on Earth

The television presenter said that humans are threatening their own existence and that of other species by using up the world’s resources.
He said the only way to save the planet from famine and species extinction is to limit human population growth.

“We are a plague on the Earth. It’s coming home to roost over the next 50 years or so. It’s not just climate change; it’s sheer space, places to grow food for this enormous horde. Either we limit our population growth or the natural world will do it for us, and the natural world is doing it for us right now,” he told the Radio Times.

Sir David, who is a patron of the Population Matters, has spoken out before about the “frightening explosion in human numbers” and the need for investment in sex education and other voluntary means of limiting population in developing countries.

“We keep putting on programmes about famine in Ethiopia; that’s what’s happening. Too many people there. They can’t support themselves — and it’s not an inhuman thing to say. It’s the case. Until humanity manages to sort itself out and get a coordinated view about the planet it’s going to get worse and worse.”

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/earth/ea...rough.html

You proposal to give everyone an automatic living wage regardless of whether the value of their active contribution exceeds the cost of feeding them would seem to make things worse?

[ignoramus]

The fleet of antonovs with infertility chems is on runway 5 ready for takeoff.
Just say the word....

Might as well go out with a bang, right?

Check out a doco about a nuclear powered plane the Ruskies tested.
It didn't end too well for the crew with the radiation leakage.

[Foxaèr]

You know, the only reason I made this thread was for a comedy version of The Biological Jew thread.

xD

[ignoramus]

Seinfeld is touring here in Melbourne shortly ... I'll run it past him for the lead... 10m OK to start with (per season)

[Mister Agenda]

You proposal to give everyone an automatic living wage regardless of whether the value of their active contribution exceeds the cost of feeding them would seem to make things worse?

Prosperity is associated with lower birth rates, so it does not follow that income support will increase population growth...lack of income support certainly doesn't seem to slow it down. Being sure income support is generous enough to support substantial electronic entertainment may help more with the birth rate.

[Anomalocaris]

You proposal to give everyone an automatic living wage regardless of whether the value of their active contribution exceeds the cost of feeding them would seem to make things worse?

Prosperity is associated with lower birth rates, so it does not follow that income support will increase population growth...lack of income support certainly doesn't seem to slow it down. Being sure income support is generous enough to support substantial electronic entertainment may help more with the birth rate.

Prosperity resulting in lower birth rate is fundmentally different from elevated income resulting from every one having a assured living wage.

When everyone is assured a living wage, a family relying on such assurances has incentive to get bigger because income increases proportionally per head, where as cost does not. So pursuit of "relative" prosperity incentivized bigger families.

The sort of prosperity that results in lower birth rate is primarily based on clear relationship between increased income and greater effort and skill. raising children interferes with effort and acquisition of skill, hence pursuit of prosperity incentivized smaller families.

[Mister Agenda]

If only there were a way to organize the benefit so that it did not incentivize having additional children....

[vorlon13]

If only there were a way to organize the benefit so that it did not incentivize having additional children....

What would Darwin recommend ?

[Mister Agenda]

If only there were a way to organize the benefit so that it did not incentivize having additional children....

What would Darwin recommend ?

Who gives a fuck what Darwin would recommend? He's been dead for 135 years or so and I doubt he had an opinion on managing a basic income. But there's no inherent reason for additional children to result in a net gain in family income.

[vorlon13]

I think Darwin would be in accord actually.

I'm also pondering advocating analysis of the carbon footprint of social programs with a goal of making them carbon neutral at least . . . .