Well I promised this so here it is.
We often joke about which came first, the chicken or the egg, and as Blacknad has pointed out Dawkins has written a book roughly related to the subject but let dig in and apply some mental horsepower.
Which major problems currently confronting our species, and others, on this planet is not directly attributable to our current and rising population?
1. Global warming
2. Water for drinking and farming
3. Infrastructure costs such as roads, schools, airports
4. Quite a number of wars
5. Costs and losses related to natural disasters
6. Immigration (worldwide not just US)
... and I could add tens if not hundreds of additional items but I think the point is made.
And we treat each and every one of these as a separate topic where we get to debate, ad nauseum, funding this and that and taxes, etc.
The one sacred cow in all of this is population. We continue to increase population without discussion, without measure, without concern about the impact on quality, and do so because our genes are programming to replicate full-speed-ahead damn-the-torpedos.
But how and in what way is this in our best interest as opposed to the best interest of our DNA?
From a biological standpoint it is easy to see why the vast majority of those on this planet do this mindlessly. To not reproduce guarantees the extinction of the DNA line. So DNA that did not control the belief system of its owner dies out while the DNA of those who engage in essentially uncontrolled reproduction proliferates.
Yes I know there are some of you out there doing it for religious reasons or whose churches tell you birth control is wrong. But have you asked yourselves why and considered the implications?
We are rapidly closing in on genetic and pharmacological solutions to diseases that will continue to extend life and decrease child mortality producing an ever larger population. And no where is their any compensatory action. In Japan and Russia and a few other countries where birth rates have fallen recently ... the governments have started incentive programs to increase the population. The only country that has successfully confronted the issue, the People's Republic of China, was universally condemned for doing so. And today is sitting on top of one trillion dollars in cash, a booming economy, and it should surprise no one.
So lets have at it folks. I am challenging you to consider that we should strive for a population of 50% of our current population in the next 100 years to solve almost all of our major problems.
And I fully expect some of your reactions to be near thermo-nuclear. Have at it.
