3 ms·

Malthusianism lives on. Easy to wax lyrical about the Black Death when you haven't lived through the mass extinction of ~50% of your community.

quacked 5y ago
And what about those who didn't, who were born one to four generations after? Malthus is wrong about overpopulation killing through lack of resources, but anyone who disagrees that setting expanding human populations loose on little-populated lands creates more individual agency and personal benefit than trying to fit that same group into an existing crowded and stacked hierarchy is ignorant of history.
chuckee 5y ago
Surely you're not implying that population reduction due to a lower birth-rate is as traumatic as living through the Black Death, just because the GP unfortunately used it as an example? As for Malthusianism - it seems to me the GP is correct in pointing out ecological stress is proportional to human population size, and that the ecosystem is in crisis. Were you hoping we would overlook this fact by calling it "Malthusianism"? Rarely have I seen so many dishonest arguments compressed into so few words.
- arvinsim 5y ago
  > As for Malthusianism - it seems to me the GP is correct in pointing out ecological stress is proportional to human population size, and that the ecosystem is in crisis. Population size? No, the problem is human greed and corruption.
  - chuckee 5y ago
    I'm not saying those aren't a problem. I'm saying that ecological stress is proportional to human population size. Are you claiming we'd have the same ecological problems, of the same severity, if the human population were 1/10th its size? The claim is so simple and obvious I'm sure you misunderstood it deliberately.
  - ikerdanzel 5y ago
    Greed isn't a bad thing. You have iPad today can be purely ascribe to pure undiluted greed. As for corruption, USA and China is rifed with it. I doubt you can convince any lefties or, millenials to give up today and live in those countries 200 years ago. Take Chinese greatest dynasties Hans and Tang. Those times, people lived like shit compare Chinese commoners these days. Of course history was written by the rich back then, and they seems to have good life. But compare to todays rich? They also live shitly.

quacked 5y ago

And what about those who didn't, who were born one to four generations after? Malthus is wrong about overpopulation killing through lack of resources, but anyone who disagrees that setting expanding human populations loose on little-populated lands creates more individual agency and personal benefit than trying to fit that same group into an existing crowded and stacked hierarchy is ignorant of history.

chuckee 5y ago

Surely you're not implying that population reduction due to a lower birth-rate is as traumatic as living through the Black Death, just because the GP unfortunately used it as an example? As for Malthusianism - it seems to me the GP is correct in pointing out ecological stress is proportional to human population size, and that the ecosystem is in crisis. Were you hoping we would overlook this fact by calling it "Malthusianism"? Rarely have I seen so many dishonest arguments compressed into so few words.

arvinsim 5y ago
> As for Malthusianism - it seems to me the GP is correct in pointing out ecological stress is proportional to human population size, and that the ecosystem is in crisis. Population size? No, the problem is human greed and corruption.
- chuckee 5y ago
  I'm not saying those aren't a problem. I'm saying that ecological stress is proportional to human population size. Are you claiming we'd have the same ecological problems, of the same severity, if the human population were 1/10th its size? The claim is so simple and obvious I'm sure you misunderstood it deliberately.
- ikerdanzel 5y ago
  Greed isn't a bad thing. You have iPad today can be purely ascribe to pure undiluted greed. As for corruption, USA and China is rifed with it. I doubt you can convince any lefties or, millenials to give up today and live in those countries 200 years ago. Take Chinese greatest dynasties Hans and Tang. Those times, people lived like shit compare Chinese commoners these days. Of course history was written by the rich back then, and they seems to have good life. But compare to todays rich? They also live shitly.