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To: Asphalt

"Will Malthus continue to be wrong?"

My favorite question.

The answer, of course,is yes - as long as man continues to be free.

If the world is run the way liberals want it, the predictions of malthus will come true in a most unpleasant manner.


2 posted on 07/02/2005 3:25:31 PM PDT by flashbunny
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To: flashbunny
"Will Malthus continue to be wrong?"

My favorite question.

The answer, of course,is yes - as long as man continues to be free.

I'm not convinced. Malthus' basic principle was sound, but his numbers were off by orders of magnitude because he missed two factors -- that technology would continuously improve the food supply, and that death control among the poor would be accompanied by birth control. The former can postpone a crisis for centuries. The latter can prevent it altogether.

Don't get me wrong. I'm not one of these "population bomb" folks who pop up every few years. It's a distant threat, but we'll eventually get there -- especially if there is any success in reducing deaths from poverty in Africa without controlling birth rates and improving agricultural efficiency at the same time.

Which won't happen if more money is handed over to the same bunch of plutocrats as before, which brings me back to your point -- the spread of freedom is a wholly necessary condition, but not a sufficient one.

61 posted on 07/02/2005 5:32:12 PM PDT by ReignOfError
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