Ken, Thanks for your positive thoughts about population management for
the future. Don
On 14 Feb 1995, Ken Wolfe wrote:
> In <Pine.SOL.3.91.950212144723.16568A-100000 at corona> Patrick O'Neil <patrick at corona> writes:
>> >Significant life extension is not tenable, at least not until (and IF) we
> >begin to colonize space or other planets...how far off is THAT? In such
> >circumstances, billions of people with longer lifespans might not hurt
> >and might even be a benefit. Until then, the planet, its biosphere, its
> >natural resources, and our societies and economies cannot handle the
> >results of significant life extension. ( I would NEVER support it for
> >only those who can afford and exhorbitant price for it either)
>> >Unless there is another planet sitting around for us to expand onto, or
> >unless everyone will accept strict population control methods, then it
> >cannot work. The problems are the same, to varying lessor extents if you
> >are only considering minor life extensions.
>> >Patrick
>> Actually, both life extension and space colonization are irrelevant to
> the conclusion that either humans will curb their population growth or we
> will get it curbed for us. If you take our current exponential
> population growth rate and project it a few thousand years in the future,
> you will eventually get a solid mass of human bodies expanding outward in
> all directions at the speed of light. Life extension would make that
> point come just a little sooner. Obviously, long before then growth
> rates would have been curbed, by fair means or foul. Space colonization
> would just slightly delay the point at which the rate would have to drop.
>> Best regards,
>> Ken Wolfe
>>> --
> Ken Wolfe | Fax: I hate fax machines
> Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada | Compu$erve: 73527.2203 at compuserve.com>Ken_Wolfe at MBnet.MB.CA | GEnie: k.wolfe8 at genie.geis.com>>
