Why Is Population Growth Seldom Discussed?

[hedgehog]

36. When i go back and read comments based on Malthus, they generally are of

the attitude that it's all the fault of those poor people having too much sex. Note that I said "based on Malthus" The specific comments are ones I've seen written from 1848 to the present suggesting that the Irish were responsible for the Famine because they kept having sex which (at that time) inevitably leads to more children. I'm not kidding - I've read remarks from current Oxford professors that flat out say that.

Malthus is right: a closed system does have limits. Although we do receive energy from the sun, I am willing to consider the earth as a closed system. However, Malthus underestimated the carrying capacity of the earth. It's possible that we will reach peak human loading on the planet before we hit carrying capacity. (Loading is related both to absolute numbers and how they live.)

The problem with Malthus is that all too often, the wealthy have looked on as the poor were dying and taken no responsibility on the grounds that it's all happening just as Malthus described.