Christine,
I don't think more people are inevitable, just highly probable. I attribute population growth to the success of humans as a species, success at manipulation of and adaptation to our environment, and I don't see any reason why this history of success should not continue, unless we are to choose suicide. I don't think there is anything bad about being successful and growing. That is our nature; why should we act against our nature? It may be that population growth will naturally slow down, or stop, but do we really have any reason to believe this, given the trend to date?
If you were to observe an orange with mold growing on it, what would you guess would come to an end first, the orange or the mold? The mold will consume the orange, until the orange is gone. The mold will either find a new source of support, or itself will come to an end. This is the way I look at what is happening to our planet. Do we think that we should live or die? Or simply refuse to realize our potential?
We can be smart about things, unlike the mold. We don't have to stay here until our resources are exhausted. We don't have to abuse and waste our resources, and we don't have to waste our potential, or refuse ourselves the joy of procreating. We have everything we need to continue our success.
I don't know what this has to do with rationalism, only that I believe in moving in one direction only, forward, and that we can choose our way through reason, without fear.
Skipper |
