3 ms·

I think it’s pretty arrogant to conclude that the human race is somehow exempt from the concept of a carrying capacity. Wages are higher because of inflation,

by dvdhnt 8y ago

I think it’s pretty arrogant to conclude that the human race is somehow exempt from the concept of a carrying capacity. Wages are higher because of inflation, the floor has moved, and it’s relatively meaningless as the cost of rent, healthcare, and food has greatly outpaced such growth. To put it bluntly, your semiconductors are insignificant if we can’t house and feed our population.

paulddraper 8y ago
It's also pretty shortsighted to underrate human advances in adapting their abilities.
- bunderbunder 8y ago
  https://www.smbc-comics.com/comic/responsible https://www.smbc-comics.com/comic/responsible
- dvdhnt 8y ago
  That’s not the point. What good is the ability to grow enough food for everyone if we arbitrarily withhold it from them? I’d argue patching a system that values the very few over the many is not an advancement.
  - paulddraper 8y ago
    It's hardly a solved problem, but it's getting much better. Wordwide undernourishment rates went from 19% to 11% from 1991 to 2015. [1] Another couples decades of human progress and starvation will be rather rare. :fingerscrossed: [1] https://ourworldindata.org/hunger-and-undernourishment https://ourworldindata.org/hunger-and-undernourishment
    - dvdhnt 8y ago
      The numbers are positive and I respect your optimism. I have nothing to add but wanted to say that.
stale2002 8y ago
> To put it bluntly, your semiconductors are insignificant if we can’t house and feed our population. I am glad you brought this up. Because you should be aware that we are at an all time low in the entire history of the world, for things like percentage of the world living in extreme poverty and hunger. Yes, it very much is about feeding and housing the population. And the facts are that we are solving those problems, better than any other point in time. Just go read ANY statistic at all. Go read the UN world health metrics, poverty metrics, hunger metrics. It doesn't matter. They all show massive gains, compared to even 20-30 years ago. We still have a ways to go, in order to solve all the worlds problems. But this fact doesn't take away from the other true fact that the world has made massive gains compared to the past, and this is recent history (IE, comparing the world to 20-30 years ago).

by dvdhnt 8y ago

paulddraper 8y ago

It's also pretty shortsighted to underrate human advances in adapting their abilities.

bunderbunder 8y ago
https://www.smbc-comics.com/comic/responsible https://www.smbc-comics.com/comic/responsible
dvdhnt 8y ago
That’s not the point. What good is the ability to grow enough food for everyone if we arbitrarily withhold it from them? I’d argue patching a system that values the very few over the many is not an advancement.
- paulddraper 8y ago
  It's hardly a solved problem, but it's getting much better. Wordwide undernourishment rates went from 19% to 11% from 1991 to 2015. [1] Another couples decades of human progress and starvation will be rather rare. :fingerscrossed: [1] https://ourworldindata.org/hunger-and-undernourishment https://ourworldindata.org/hunger-and-undernourishment
  - dvdhnt 8y ago
    The numbers are positive and I respect your optimism. I have nothing to add but wanted to say that.

stale2002 8y ago

> To put it bluntly, your semiconductors are insignificant if we can’t house and feed our population. I am glad you brought this up. Because you should be aware that we are at an all time low in the entire history of the world, for things like percentage of the world living in extreme poverty and hunger. Yes, it very much is about feeding and housing the population. And the facts are that we are solving those problems, better than any other point in time. Just go read ANY statistic at all. Go read the UN world health metrics, poverty metrics, hunger metrics. It doesn't matter. They all show massive gains, compared to even 20-30 years ago. We still have a ways to go, in order to solve all the worlds problems. But this fact doesn't take away from the other true fact that the world has made massive gains compared to the past, and this is recent history (IE, comparing the world to 20-30 years ago).