The final solution to the demographic problem of Europe?

[Cort Haus]

Make life less shít for parents so that having families is easier. ie: Less authoritarianism.

[Bkeela]

A low population is a good thing. Just got to convince the third world of this and life on Earth could be paradise.

[Blake]

The solution is reduced consumption. Simple living and stuff. Stop promoting consumption as the be all and end all of life. It's obviously a negative sum game. You spend so much time working to buy the stuff that you have no spare time to enjoy the stuff.

Want what you have. Solves nearly all of the world's problems.

And if the economics system will fall apart under a paradigm of sustainable consumption; FIX THE ECONOMIC SYSTEM.

[DinoDoc]

But then who would pay your bills, Blake?

[Ben Kenobi]

Benedict the wise.

[Ari Rahikkala]

Europe's demographic problem is that our birthrate is still too high. Downsizing human population has to start *somewhere*, and we can't do it as long as every nation believes that *their* children should be the ones to inherit the world. Unless we do get those AI citizens OP mentioned - in which case demographics won't be a problem anymore - the surest way to maintain a decent quality of human life over the next several hundred years is to significantly reduce human birthrate worldwide. Stop pretending that the most significant positive phenomenon in modern western society (after the rapid technological development) is a bad thing just because you are too arrogant and paranoid to see that other continents' children will do just as good a job inheriting the earth as ours.

[Pekka]

Honestly? I never understood the "we are having too few kids!". No. We're having the percect amount of kids, having about same amount of people around and in the future.

"Economic GRowaaath!". SO what? Keep your pennies. I'd rather not overpopulate this place, besides, 50% of kids born are punks when they come out of the machine anyway and 45% will grow to be one.

ANd don't mind people who want lots of kids and then have lots of kids. THese people usually also can take care of them. So it's just fine. But other serial familists are poison, not remedy.

[C0ckney]

Europe's demographic problem is that our birthrate is still too high. Downsizing human population has to start *somewhere*

i'm curious as to why you think the human population needs 'downsizing'.

[Whaleboy]

Whether or not there are too many humans for the world to sustain now is debatable. I would argue that there are too many humans right now... however the crux is that the rate of growth of the human population is far too high, so unless some horrible catastrophe occurs *Whaleboy grabs popcorn, toffee apple and prepares for WWIII* we will have too many humans before too long.

Supposing also that we plateau out at, say, 11 million persons. Like bacteria in a petri dish while our consumption per annum may be matched to the planet's output per annum, depletion of natural resources and pollution will reduce the ability of the planet to support us.

All of that assumes that we use the typical Western model of consumption capitalism; that human beings are on the top of the tree and that the world is a resource for our own purposes. I think the fewer people with that attitude the better.

[OneFootInTheGrave]

Originally posted by Blake
The solution is reduced consumption. Simple living and stuff. Stop promoting consumption as the be all and end all of life. It's obviously a negative sum game. You spend so much time working to buy the stuff that you have no spare time to enjoy the stuff.

Want what you have. Solves nearly all of the world's problems.

you should be a priest

[Ecthy]

WE ARE THE EU. RESISTANCE IS FUTILE.

[Blake]

Originally posted by OneFootInTheGrave
you should be a priest

Heh. I follow more Buddhist precepts than I do "rules" for normal people.

The reason I do this is simple, I do what my inner wisdom tells me to. It brings me much joy (I like to call it unimaginable bliss because that's literally true, I couldn't have imagined it in beforetimes).
It's very nice to not need to be perpetually distracted, perpetually chasing after things. The moment, it's a wonderful place.


I wont be a burden to anyone in my old age, because I wont need naught more than a place to sleep, a meal or two a day and people to talk to. I'm certain the last one will make up for the cost of food. You know it's time to shuffle off this mortal coil when you become more burden than blessing :P.

[BeBMan]

Originally posted by Elok
I would generally avoid using the words "final solution" to describe a situation where a larger population is desired. Actually, I'd avoid the phrase entirely...

QFT

[Heraclitus]

Originally posted by BeBro


QFT

If this was as serious thread I'd agree too... but I didn't intend this thread to be such.

[Dr Strangelove]

Originally posted by Ari Rahikkala
Downsizing human population has to start *somewhere*, and we can't do it as long as every nation believes that *their* children should be the ones to inherit the world.

QFT. You may have to start building those robotic soldiers inorder to keep the "teeming masses" from overwhelming your shores.

It's about time somone else learned what being overrun by immigrants is like.