Reply #9: Here's what it would take [View All]

[GliderGuider]

Planet Earth in the year 12011, with a well-fed population of 1 trillion people all driving SUVs to the future equivalent of a local Denny's.

Now, what would it take for you to admit you are wrong?

Would Planet Earth in the year 2111 with a starving population of 1 billion eating grass and mouse soup do it?

This issue is one of belief, not science. There is no way to prove Malthus was "Right" or "Wrong" short of the appearance of scenarios like those described above.

We know that there is a possibility he was right because we've seen local evidence of it time and again in sub-Saharan Africa. We also know that he has not been "proved right" so far on a global scale because our ingenuity has so far kept us ahead of the game (though at great environmental cost).

Belief enters the picture when we assess whether ingenuity will continue to keep us ahead of the game, or whether rising environmental, economic and social costs will force us to fall behind. A case can be made for either position.