[ExI] tech influence

[Samantha Atkins]

On Feb 11, 2014, at 12:47 PM, William Flynn Wallace <foozler83 at gmail.com> wrote:

"The birth dearth is a serious problem, especially in parts of Western Europe and Japan (especially Japan, where fertile women are practically on a childbearing national strike), for the obvious reason of too many old retired folks, and not enough young workers to pay for them."
 

This is why anti-aging R&D is critically important (among other fine reasons).  You don't want all the boomers going unproductive if at all possible.   This should be a ultra high priority in any sane near future planning and funding. 



Yes, immediate problems.  Long run - I think we are overpopulated now.  China had the right idea but went about it wrongly.  Are we going to fuck ourselves into starvation?  OK, so maybe technology can feed 50 billion people, or 500 billion.  But were does it stop?  I think we will eventually have to have licenses to get pregnant, as much as this libertarian hates government interference with anything, much less sex.
 
According to UN population will top under 10 billion.  We have no problem producing enough food for that many.  Even with anti-aging it is not likely that many would want another round or first round of kids with more options opening up.  Also we are not stuck long term on just this one rock.  So I see no good reason to get very excited about population size.

- samantha

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