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The Amish win. Among the best farmers in the world, with huge families, a healthy lifestyle, and they're non-violent. Their biggest problem is that they are s

The Amish win. Among the best farmers in the world, with huge families, a healthy lifestyle, and they're non-violent. Their biggest problem is that they are so good at farming that land prices around their communities go up and their children have to move farther and farther to afford their own farms.

aphextron 6y ago
>"Among the best farmers in the world, with huge families, a healthy lifestyle, and they're non-violent." They're also completely reliant on the larger economy to sell their goods, and are in no way self sufficient. Not to mention sky high rates of child and spousal abuse. Humanity moved away from sustenance farming for very good reasons.
- carapace 6y ago
  I'm kind of joking. I think that something would give before "100% Amish!" became the actual Earth equilibrium state. The point is, not every one will stop having large families. I don't think we're in danger of an empty planet.
dahdum 6y ago
Eh, I'm not strongly against the Amish but I wouldn't hold them up as an ideal. They are theocratic communities with strictly gendered roles, harsh discipline, and practice shunning and excommunication of their undesirables.
- hayez1 6y ago
  Maybe those qualities are what is making their society so successful and why ours is failing (in biological terms). Just a thought.
- carapace 6y ago
  > I wouldn't hold them up as an ideal. I'm not.
annoyingnoob 6y ago
Is there enough fertile land for everyone on Earth to live like the Amish? We will run out of land before we can all live that way, doesn't really work on a larger scale. And there is no way I'm going to live in a strict religious society.
- carapace 6y ago
  > Is there enough fertile land for everyone on Earth to live like the Amish? All available fertile land will eventually be farmed by the Amish (if the rest of us stop having kids.) > And there is no way I'm going to live in a strict religious society. What makes you think they would accept you? ;-P Anyway, the scenario isn't armies of Amish forcing you to join them. It's you and me getting out-populated by them over time. I'm pointing out that the premise of the article is flawed: not everybody is going to stop having kids. I'm also pointing out that, as far as I can tell, and only slightly joking, the Amish are the "meek" who "shall inherit the Earth", which possibility I find amusing and though provoking.
owenversteeg 6y ago
Yep, exactly. The Amish population doubles every 20 years. Simple growth, over time, while everyone else's populations are near flat or shrinking? I give them a great chance. That's faster than any other group that I could find. The Census Bureau publishes growth rates by race too - the Hispanic population is growing around 2%, the Black population is growing around 1.5%. (I'm just hoping their attitudes on women and race improve.)

aphextron 6y ago

>"Among the best farmers in the world, with huge families, a healthy lifestyle, and they're non-violent." They're also completely reliant on the larger economy to sell their goods, and are in no way self sufficient. Not to mention sky high rates of child and spousal abuse. Humanity moved away from sustenance farming for very good reasons.

carapace 6y ago
I'm kind of joking. I think that something would give before "100% Amish!" became the actual Earth equilibrium state. The point is, not every one will stop having large families. I don't think we're in danger of an empty planet.

dahdum 6y ago

Eh, I'm not strongly against the Amish but I wouldn't hold them up as an ideal. They are theocratic communities with strictly gendered roles, harsh discipline, and practice shunning and excommunication of their undesirables.

hayez1 6y ago
Maybe those qualities are what is making their society so successful and why ours is failing (in biological terms). Just a thought.
carapace 6y ago
> I wouldn't hold them up as an ideal. I'm not.

annoyingnoob 6y ago

Is there enough fertile land for everyone on Earth to live like the Amish? We will run out of land before we can all live that way, doesn't really work on a larger scale. And there is no way I'm going to live in a strict religious society.

carapace 6y ago
> Is there enough fertile land for everyone on Earth to live like the Amish? All available fertile land will eventually be farmed by the Amish (if the rest of us stop having kids.) > And there is no way I'm going to live in a strict religious society. What makes you think they would accept you? ;-P Anyway, the scenario isn't armies of Amish forcing you to join them. It's you and me getting out-populated by them over time. I'm pointing out that the premise of the article is flawed: not everybody is going to stop having kids. I'm also pointing out that, as far as I can tell, and only slightly joking, the Amish are the "meek" who "shall inherit the Earth", which possibility I find amusing and though provoking.

owenversteeg 6y ago

Yep, exactly. The Amish population doubles every 20 years. Simple growth, over time, while everyone else's populations are near flat or shrinking? I give them a great chance. That's faster than any other group that I could find. The Census Bureau publishes growth rates by race too - the Hispanic population is growing around 2%, the Black population is growing around 1.5%. (I'm just hoping their attitudes on women and race improve.)