Path: utzoo!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rutgers!att!linac!pacific.mps.ohio-state.edu!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!sdd.hp.com!hplabs!pyramid!lstowell
From: lstowell@pyrnova.pyramid.com (Lon Stowell)
Newsgroups: sci.bio
Subject: Re: Why bother? (was Re: Terraforming, sun shield)
Message-ID: <148007@pyramid.pyramid.com>
Date: 12 Mar 91 20:55:33 GMT
Sender: daemon@pyramid.pyramid.com
Reply-To: lstowell@pyrnova.pyramid.com (Lon Stowell)
Organization: Pyramid Technology Corp., Mountain View, CA
Lines: 23

In article <64568@eerie.acsu.Buffalo.EDU> arandia@acsu.buffalo.edu (joel d arandia) writes:
>
>	Why?  In the future, why would people only be allowed to have only 
>2 or less children?  Why not expand?  It's obvious that the earth's resources
>are limited.  We can't keep 5 billion here forever.  I hope between now and 
>forever, we'll have migrated into space.  What's this with conservation?
>Expand!  Explore!  Exploit!  Come on!  The only way to go now is to go up!
>The whole history of the human race is about expansion.  Why stop now?
>
   The whole history of the human race has changed drastically
   since the advent of reliable and (reasonably safe) birth
   control.  Where this is freely available, many populations
   are actually growing at LESS than the 2 child/couple rate.  

   As lifespans increase, career opportunities expand, I can see
   nothing that would reverse this growing trend to fewer
   offspring.  Some governments are already worried about birth
   rates less than replacement rates..and the spectre of
   shrinking population.  

   Hopefully human expansion will begin soon enough that the
   growing "safety over everything" mentality will not have time
   to prohibit such "dangerous" activities.