Posted on 04/04/2006 9:41:40 AM PDT by SirLinksalot
Texas Prof.: 'We're Breeding Our Brains Out'
Talk radio and blogs are taking aim at a University of Texas biology professor because of a published report suggesting he advocates death for most of the human population as a means of saving the Earth.
However, Eric Pianka says his remarks about his beliefs were taken out of context, that he was just raising a warning that deadly disease epidemics are a threat if population growth isn't contained.
"What we really need to do is start thinking about controlling our population before it's too late," he said Monday. "It's already too late, but we're not even thinking about it. We're just mindlessly rushing ahead breeding our brains out."
Pianka, who has gotten vitriolic e-mails and even a death threat, said he believes the Earth would be better off if there were fewer people using up natural resources and destroying habitats.
The furor began when The Gazette-Enterprise of Seguin, Texas, reported Sunday on two speeches Pianka made last month to groups of scientists and students about vanishing animal habitats and the exploding human population.
That report was circulated widely and posted on "The Drudge Report," then quickly became talk radio fodder.
The Gazette-Enterprise quoted Pianka as saying disease "will control the scourge of humanity. We're looking forward to a huge collapse."
It said he weighed the killing power of various diseases such as bird flu and HIV but decided neither would yield the needed results.
"HIV is too slow. It's no good," he said.
Pianka said that doesn't mean he wants most humans to die.
However, Forrest Mims, an amateur scientist, author and chairman of the Texas Academy of Science's environmental science section, told The Associated Press there was no mistaking Pianka's disdain for humans and desire for their elimination in the speech he heard.
"He wishes for it. He hopes for it. He laughs about it. He jokes about it," Mims said. "It's got to happen because we are the scourge of humanity."
Pianka was expressing his own opinion, University of Texas spokesman Don Hale said.
"Dr. Pianka has First Amendment rights to express his point of view," Hale said. "We have plenty of faculty with a lot of different points of view and they have the right to express that point of view, but they're expressing their personal point of view."
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Forrest Mims of the Texas Academy of Science has a somewhat disturbing report on a speech one Eric Pianka, a "University of Texas evolutionary ecologist and lizard expert," delivered to the academy last month. Pianka argued that "overpopulation" was endangering the Earth, a commonplace enough notion, but one he carried to monstrous extremes:
Without presenting any data to justify this number, he asserted that the only feasible solution to saving the Earth is to reduce the population to 10 percent of the present number. . . .
His favorite candidate for eliminating 90 percent of the world's population is airborne Ebola (Ebola Reston), because it is both highly lethal and it kills in days, instead of years. However, Professor Pianka did not mention that Ebola victims die a slow and torturous death as the virus initiates a cascade of biological calamities inside the victim that eventually liquefy the internal organs. . . .
When Pianka finished his remarks, the audience applauded. It wasn't merely a smattering of polite clapping that audiences diplomatically reserve for poor or boring speakers. It was a loud, vigorous and enthusiastic applause.
Then came the question and answer session, in which Professor Pianka stated that other diseases are also efficient killers.
The audience laughed when he said, "You know, the bird flu's good, too." They laughed again when he proposed, with a discernable note of glee in his voice that, "We need to sterilize everybody on the Earth." . . .
He spoke glowingly of the police state in China that enforces their one-child policy. He said, "Smarter people have fewer kids." He said those who don't have a conscience about the Earth will inherit the Earth, "...because those who care make fewer babies and those that didn't care made more babies." He said we will evolve as uncaring people, and "I think IQs are falling for the same reason, too."
With this, the questioning was over. Immediately almost every scientist, professor and college student present stood to their feet and vigorously applauded the man who had enthusiastically endorsed the elimination of 90 percent of the human population.
Probably the audience's enthusiasm was in large part simply a result of the frisson of hearing someone say something so outlandish. But the story does reinforce the stereotype of scientists as brainy freaks devoid of ordinary human feeling and common sense.
OOOPS, I mis-spelled the word HUMANS in the title.
Moderator, kindly correct it. Thanks.
This Prof, who shall remain nameless forever, is not suggesting any proactive reduction of population but that the growth of population will trigger its own reduction. The entire matter is of no importance.
I believe he got that expression wrong.
Maybe he could begin by eliminating himself!
I can't top that. Oh well, time for a nap...
Lovely. Ping worthy? I'd like to drop kick the guy into a yard full of pit bulls. Of course, that wouldn't be the Christian thing to do....
I wonder how hard the sovereign God of the universe laughs at people like this?
Orthodox Jews have some of the highest IQs on the planet, and having ten children in a family is hardly remarkable in that community.
There is no such thing as "overpopulation" - the human mind is a near-infinite resource and the only earthly one we need to ensure physical survival.
He is old and looks like he will come down with some nasty physical condition any day. If he were young and just starting out he might be a candidate for professional assistance.
Seriously, what a waste of good oxygen. If algore wants to know what causes global warming, he oughta start with the stuff this guy's mouth is emitting.
dead, GET OUT OF MY CHAIR!
I guess he must be fishing for a chaired professorship at Princeton.
When he says that "We're breeding our brains out," I'm tempted to ask, "Who's this we, Quimosabe?"
Muslims all over the world are breeding their brains out. Mexicans are breeding their brains out. But well-mannered Europeans and western intellectuals are busy working toward demographic extinction.
I hate to say it, but according to history, the rule is, "He who breeds, wins."
Still, talk about spreading ebola and bird flu is, to say the least, disturbing. Let's not forget that international "population planning" was dreamed up by Margaret Sanger but first implemented by the CIA, which saw it as a way of evening the odds against potential future enemies in the breeding grounds of the third world. Now, of course, the UN is carrying the ball.
No. We've been aborting out brains out for the last 30+ years. That's why it's so essential to have temporary guest workers to do the work Americans aren't there to do.
I'm guessing they all assume that they will be in the 10% of the population left standing. It seems clear to me, however, that the odds are against them.
And now just look at all the skinny people there are.
< /sarcasm >
It seems there are more people in motorized wheelchairs now that are morbidly obese than are using them because of dysfunctional limbs.
>>I wonder how hard the sovereign God of the universe laughs at people like this?<<
That's what I was thinking.
According to Psalm 2, he laughs quite a bit. Then he destroys them in His wrath.
Whoops, capitalizeation problems:
>>According to Psalm 2, He laughs quite a bit. Then He destroys them in His wrath.<<
- Genesis 1:28
1) be or become great, be or become many, be or become much, be or become numerous
1a) (Qal)
1a1) to become many, become numerous, multiply (of people, animals, things)
1a2) to be or grow great
1b) (Piel) to make large, enlarge, increase, become many
1c) (Hiphil)
1c1) to make much, make many, have many
1c1a) to multiply, increase
1c1b) to make much to do, do much in respect of, transgress greatly
1c1c) to increase greatly or exceedingly
1c2) to make great, enlarge, do much
2) (Qal) to shoot
Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament:Lead by example, professor!
Didn't I read recently that China and some other countries are starting to rethink the 1 child policy? I think they were concerned about under population.
Oh brother. Another Erlich or Malthus. Those who don't study history are doomed to repeat it.
This Prof, who shall remain nameless forever,
"University of Texas biology professor... Eric Pianka" (contained in Paragraph 1 and 2)
is not suggesting any proactive reduction of population but that the growth of population will trigger its own reduction. The entire matter is of no importance.
Now the only thing in the posted article is the one quote from Forrest Mims
"He wishes for it. He hopes for it. He laughs about it. He jokes about it," Mims said. "It's got to happen because we are the scourge of humanity."
And they go out of their way to dismiss Mims as an "amateur," ignoring the fact that he is a published author as well as a scientific award winner himself and is the chair of the Environment Studies group of the body at whose awards dinner this speech was given. That clearly is not conclusive, but if you checked out Forrest Mims' report on this event at The Citizen Scientist you'd find just a bit more detail that contradicts your conclusion:
First, this little tid bit in the editor's preface:
Apparently at the speaker's direction, the speech was not video taped by the Academy and so Forrest's may be the only record of what was said.
then Forest Mims' comments
... a speech that enthusiastically advocated the elimination of 90 percent of Earth's population by airborne Ebola...
... Professor Pianka began his speech by explaining that the general public is not yet ready to hear what he was about to tell us...
... I grabbed a notepad so I could take on the role of science reporter...
... Pianka hammered his point home by exclaiming, “We're no better than bacteria!”...
... Professor Pianka said the Earth as we know it will not survive without drastic measures. Then, and without presenting any data to justify this number, he asserted that the only feasible solution to saving the Earth is to reduce the population to 10 percent of the present number...
... “We need to sterilize everybody on the Earth.”...
We have no right to live, any more than a bacteria does, the Earth is in danger because of us, "we need to" fix that and killing 90% of the population with airborn Ebola is the most efficient way we have to accomplish it. Oh, and nobody can know what was said in the speech, so none of the normal video or audio recording of the event was allowed. Then Mims provides that he took contemporary notes. I think Mims interpretation of the speech and evidence for his position would have a good chance of standing up in a court of law.
Margaret Sanger also preached the same kind of eugenics madness. Planned Parenthood is based on the notion that "lesser peoples" should not be encouraged (read as allowed) to procreate. They still concentrate most heavily on minority populations.
Like hell he's not encouraging active measures.
You are, however, entitled to your opinion, but I think Mims is in a far better position to back up his opinion than you are with yours. Or were you at the event? Or are you Professor Pianka? </grinning ducking and running away>
They are all nameless. They will be forgotten as soon as they are gone.
It goes something like this:
The human race is in danger of extinction because of overcrowding.
That's right, the human race is going to disappear because there are too many humans.
You wanna see a monkey? Go look in the mirror, you'll see a monkey.
I think our chances would be vastly improved if we got rid of 90% of the liberals.
I thought that might be what you were reaching for, but it's not what
This Prof, who shall remain nameless forever,
says.
It would have been clearer if you'd said
This Prof, whose name shall soon be forgotten for all time
or something similar. It would have made it easier.
I had an English teacher who told me that earth must be capitalized. I asked her if she would accept the dictionary as final authority, and she could not very well say no. I saw her a couple years later, out of work, wandering the streets dazedly.
The creep would no doubt exclude himself from the purge--
Colonics for everyone!
MonKEY, MonKEY..
LOL!! He just has to be one of the frail freeks of Darwin Central.
8mm
Dear Dr. Eric R. Pianka
I am writing to you in regards to the speech you made at the 109th meeting of the Texas Academy of Science at Lamar University in Beaumont on 3-5 March 2006 in which you advocated the reduction of the earths population by 90%.
The idea of reducing the earths population by 90% has stimulated my mind and I wish to add the following thoughts on the issue:
You said your favorite candidate for eliminating 90 percent of the world's population is airborne Ebola ( Ebola Reston ), because it is both highly lethal and it kills in days, instead of years.
The problem I see with Ebola is that it does not discriminate between perfect and imperfect people. You stated that everyone who survives would be responsible for burying nine others who did not, but you fail take into account the handicap, elderly, infants, and others who may survive but are not capable of burying the remains of nine other humans.
To reduce some of this burden may I suggest replacing Ebola with some type of genetically engineered flesh eating bacteria that would not only devour its victim in less time than Ebola but also would consume most of the remains?
Another problem is that it would be possible for many of the survivors to include retarded people and conservatives rather than elite intellectual liberals who would take care of the world. A number of conservatives are involved in the pharmaceutical industry and this may give them an advantage of survival against Ebola. The most likely people to die will be the poor oppressed minorities which tend to vote for liberal candidates, without them the surviving conservatives will surely take over the world and begin using the retarded people to build even more factories and SUVs.
I realize that you think the earth is doomed and you wish to save it.
However, instead of indiscriminately killing off 90% of the population without any selection process, I think the more logical solutions are as follows:
Ignorance vs. Ebola
It has been said that “ignorance is bliss“; So, if people do not realize that they are doomed they can still be happy.
That leaves two types of people who cannot be happy:
1. People that have Ebola or some life threatening disease (who are doomed)
2. People who don’t but who are so intelligent that they have figured out that we are all doomed. (ie. intellectuals and college professors)
If we eliminate these two types of people then everyone else has the prospect of being happy until they figure out they are doomed.
The ultimate solution
You stated in your speech; “We're no better than bacteria!”
In that statement lies the answer!
Since we are no better than bacteria, What is?
Like us bacteria must labor and eat and reproduce to survive but will eventually die anyway.
However inorganic materials are superior to both humans and bacteria because they can exist without having to eat and they never die. Neither do they suffer or catch diseases and so have the prospect of being eternal.
Therefore, to create perfection you cannot eliminate a mere 90% of life but it must be 100%.
Most of the universe already exists in this state of perfection and it is only the earth that seems to have the burdens, imperfections, and complications of life.
If the earth is rid of life then it can join the rest of the universe in a more perfect state which exists without effort, crime, sorrow, pain, and death.
Sound like a plan?
Thank you doctor for coming up with 90% of the solution to remedy the complex problems of life.
Randy Sprinkle
Rockport, Texas
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