Posted: May 03, 2010 11:52 pm
Do rationalists try to comment on issues of world population and possible population control? It is a subject that some have apathy towards and that some feel strongly about. While a world that is much more crowded that the one we have known is conveniently "not in our lifetimes", I would suggest that it is still worth having a sense of urgency about. Low infant mortality rates and high life expectancies are likely here to stay and a future world population of 10 billion or more strikes me as unsustainable. It is a tricky subject because some people feel very strongly about having children, and some even feel it is their right to have as many as they wish without any rational considerations for the well-being of those future generations.
Anyway, I recently came up with a basis for thinking about the problem that I think is helpful, but it is not the work of a creative genius. The core of my idea has a simple phrase: Infantile Lottery Sterilization (ILS). It simply urges our high-tech biotechnology sector to find very low-side effect pharmaceuticals or other minimally invasive techniques with which to effect reliable and irreversible sterilization. I think that a fair system would be for the state to operate a lottery and, if possible, sterilize newborns based on the results of the lottery. I happen to think that a population level by design is better than one where we do almost nothing effect and let the world population bloat up to 10 billion or more. I have a web site:
In my thinking about the problem, I see it as related to the Mutually Assured Destruction stalemate that the that USA and Russia seem to still be locked in. My web site is:
http://www.thermo4thermo.org/
I would be happy to receive some rational feedback, despite that reality that any effective solution for implementing real population control is about as controversial as religion.
I have previously mentioned this idea at http://forum.richarddawkins.net/index.h ... 7&t=107381
Anyway, I recently came up with a basis for thinking about the problem that I think is helpful, but it is not the work of a creative genius. The core of my idea has a simple phrase: Infantile Lottery Sterilization (ILS). It simply urges our high-tech biotechnology sector to find very low-side effect pharmaceuticals or other minimally invasive techniques with which to effect reliable and irreversible sterilization. I think that a fair system would be for the state to operate a lottery and, if possible, sterilize newborns based on the results of the lottery. I happen to think that a population level by design is better than one where we do almost nothing effect and let the world population bloat up to 10 billion or more. I have a web site:
In my thinking about the problem, I see it as related to the Mutually Assured Destruction stalemate that the that USA and Russia seem to still be locked in. My web site is:
http://www.thermo4thermo.org/
I would be happy to receive some rational feedback, despite that reality that any effective solution for implementing real population control is about as controversial as religion.
I have previously mentioned this idea at http://forum.richarddawkins.net/index.h ... 7&t=107381