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But in the great scheme of things, that's fine: because developing nations crank out many, many more bodies than they could ever feed. The worldwide rate of pop

by toyg 4y ago

But in the great scheme of things, that's fine: because developing nations crank out many, many more bodies than they could ever feed. The worldwide rate of population growth is still massive, the only way to make things stable is to allow countries to slow down once they're wealthy enough.

ralfd 4y ago
Only Africa is growing. While their population is booming they can't replace the world. Aside if wealth is a negative for evolutionary fitness then humanity won't stay wealthy for long.
- toyg 4y ago
  > While their population is booming they can't replace the world. I wouldn't be too sure about that. Global population is growing at an astonishing pace, and Malthus continues to be very popular (even here on HN, where people should know better). > if wealth is a negative for evolutionary fitness Wealth will eventually take us to other planets, which is arguably the pinnacle of evolutionary fitness.
mschuster91 4y ago
Developing nations are supposed to develop themselves, not to replace our failures in enticing people to breed. How are these nations supposed to develop when we lure their best of the young away every year, and lots of them don't even make it but die along the route in the Mediterranean or end up in a slave camp in Libya, Italy or Spain?
- toyg 4y ago
  > How are these nations supposed to develop when we lure their best of the young away The same way other countries did it (and still do): remittances. Now, I'm not saying the current state of things is acceptable (it isn't), but it's not about stemming the flow as much as allowing it to be a net positive for the source countries.
- TulliusCicero 4y ago
  Well, in theory some people will go back to their home country with skills, capital, and connections developed while in the richer countries, sensing opportunity in a faster growing market. I know I've read articles about this with Indians coming back from the states. That said, many of these countries have issues with hilariously poor governance and civil society which handicaps growth and strangles the young's ambitions, so I don't blame anyone for leaving and not coming back either.

by toyg 4y ago

ralfd 4y ago

Only Africa is growing. While their population is booming they can't replace the world. Aside if wealth is a negative for evolutionary fitness then humanity won't stay wealthy for long.

toyg 4y ago
> While their population is booming they can't replace the world. I wouldn't be too sure about that. Global population is growing at an astonishing pace, and Malthus continues to be very popular (even here on HN, where people should know better). > if wealth is a negative for evolutionary fitness Wealth will eventually take us to other planets, which is arguably the pinnacle of evolutionary fitness.

mschuster91 4y ago

Developing nations are supposed to develop themselves, not to replace our failures in enticing people to breed. How are these nations supposed to develop when we lure their best of the young away every year, and lots of them don't even make it but die along the route in the Mediterranean or end up in a slave camp in Libya, Italy or Spain?

toyg 4y ago
> How are these nations supposed to develop when we lure their best of the young away The same way other countries did it (and still do): remittances. Now, I'm not saying the current state of things is acceptable (it isn't), but it's not about stemming the flow as much as allowing it to be a net positive for the source countries.
TulliusCicero 4y ago
Well, in theory some people will go back to their home country with skills, capital, and connections developed while in the richer countries, sensing opportunity in a faster growing market. I know I've read articles about this with Indians coming back from the states. That said, many of these countries have issues with hilariously poor governance and civil society which handicaps growth and strangles the young's ambitions, so I don't blame anyone for leaving and not coming back either.