[OT] Re: Opium

[csj <csj@zapo.net>]

On Fri, 14 Nov 2003 23:09:37 +0100,
Arnt Karlsen wrote:
> 
> On Fri, 14 Nov 2003 11:39:31 -0600, 
> Ron Johnson <ron.l.johnson@cox.net> wrote in message 
> <[🔎] 1068831570.18037.32.camel@haggis.homelan>:
> 
> > On Fri, 2003-11-14 at 02:22, Arnt Karlsen wrote:
> > > On Thu, 13 Nov 2003 22:56:11 -0600, 
> > > Ron Johnson <ron.l.johnson@cox.net> wrote in message 
> > > <[🔎] 1068785771.18039.9.camel@haggis.homelan>:

[...]

> > > as sharing a good life etc means mankind volonteers to back
> > > off on breeding, capping the population at I guess 15B, and
> > > easing it down to the long term sustainable 10B.

This doesn't have to be the case if humanity expands to space.
There are enough raw materials out there for 10T humans.  (Just
reading a sci-fi novel about asteroid mining.)

> > It was tried in the PRC, which has the muscle and
> > neighborhood spies to enforce it.  Still, it didn't work.

There's never been any self-limiting species.  That's why we have
pest control and wayward asteroids to keep the successes of
evolution in check.  If we as a species want to survive the next
millenium we have to invest in space.  No amount of birth control
or social problem will solve the population explosion.

[...]