China's One Child Policy............

[Imran Siddiqui]

The west has stabilized population growth through personal choice.

Through economics. When the median population rises, people have less kids. The population usually stabilize by itself through the mere fact that peoples' time is worth more as incomes rise. And when the value of time is more, there are less children because the oppertunity cost of having chilren is much greater when the potential income is so much higher.

[DanS]

"China was having population growth problems and it was government intervention which stabilized their population growth"

I could just as easily say that China was having development problems only tangentially related to population growth.

[Aeson]

Originally posted by el freako
If you think that's a ludicrous gamble then I assume you would think it a safe one to bet against the sun rising tomorrow - just because it's happened so many times before is no guarantee for the future eh?

My statement was nothing of the sort. The odds of the sun rising tomorrow are pretty high when all of our knowlege on the subject is taken into account. Also the timing of the sun rising is quite precise.

I am saying it's foolish to increase a known value (population) if it is at a point where a required value (food) is not known to be sufficient to support the increase.

[Vesayen]

As immoral as it is......the pain we face now will be nothing compared to the pain we face in the future if we dont controll our population size.

[DanS]

"the pain we face now"

What kind of pain do we face now? How do you figure it compares to the pain of previous generations?

[Imran Siddiqui]

I am saying it's foolish to increase a known value (population) if it is at a point where a required value (food) is not known to be sufficient to support the increase.

But it is sufficient, it just isn't getting there right.

Come on now... Malthus was WRONG . Technology will always be ahead of the 'famine that will doom mankind' .

[Caligastia]

I think the Chinese made the right choice with their one child policy. Its the only realistic option. Its a good thing they dont have american style political correctness in China.

[Urban Ranger]

Hm, when did having as many children as one wants become an "individual right?"


el freako,

We are very close to the carrying capacity of the earth right now. In fact, much of the argicultural improvements made during the last 50 years or so are of the non-sustaintable variety. Why do you think much of the firsrt world countries are turning towards organic farming?

[DinoDoc]

Originally posted by Urban Ranger
Hm, when did having as many children as one wants become an "individual right?"

When it requires forced abortions to say that you can not have as many children as you want.

[DanS]

When was it ever not an individual right?

[Urban Ranger]

So you are putting the cart in front of the horse.

[Wraith]

--"Here's something from a certain movie that I found rather prophetic:"

That's exactly the kind of enivornmentalist extremism I despise. If you think that humanity is such a despicable virus, why aren't you trying to "medicate the planet" by wiping us all out?

--"Just because humans have the ability to avoid overpopulation doesn't mean overpopulation is not a potential problem."

And just because we don't have any proof of giant invisible Learnian space hamsters doesn't mean that their attacking the earth is not a potential problem.
There's just a matter of degree of probability. We've got some other things that are more important to worry about.

--"Mormon's could achieve overpopulation eventually"

You spout all that stuff above about exponential and then bring this in? Please. You know what averages and medians are.

--"if it is at a point where a required value (food) is not known to be sufficient to support the increase"

That's the point. We've got plenty of food, and we're nowhere near our production limits. We could end famine on the planet right now if growing the food was the only issue (the shipping, political, and logistics problems are another thing).

--"Why do you think much of the firsrt world countries are turning towards organic farming?"

They aren't. It's all advertising. Only the crackpots are turning towards organic farming. Well, them and the people who are making big money off of it. It's all in the advertising and the ignorance.
Organic farming is actualy a lot more resource intensive than the current high-yeild mentions, and even more so than genetically engineered products.

Wraith
Stand Back! I Have a Brain and I'm Not Afraid To Use It

[DinoDoc]

Originally posted by Urban Ranger
So you are putting the cart in front of the horse.

I'm afraid you've lost me. The fact is that China's method of enforcing its one child policy violates individual rights. I also question wheather government should even have the authority to police individual citizens bedrooms.

[chequita guevara]

Originally posted by Imran Siddiqui
Silly me... forgot that . Yet, in those states, you will see a lack of a capitalist economic order.

Yes, instead they have capitalist economic disorder. Africa's not the only place with starvation and malnurishment, it's just the only place with regular famines. Famines still occur in Asia from time to time, and millions of people die of starvation outside Africa, all in the capitalist world.

Capitalism hasn't done away with famines, it's merely changed the causes. Before it was because there wasn't enough food produced. Now it's because the starving don't have the money to buy food.

[David Floyd]

Hm, when did having as many children as one wants become an "individual right?"

That's ludicrous. Sexual freedom and reproduction is by definition an individual right.