TED Community » Dave Rockwell

More About Me

I'm passionate about

the long-term human potential as a conscious and intelligent entity despite the overwhelming evidence to the contrary.

An idea worth spreading

Population is the primary driver of the cycle of civilization. Secondary factors such as resources, technology and organization can only delay the crash phase of the cycle, never eliminate it. We subconsciously understand that the crash phase is a different mode of experience, so it feels apocalyptic and final, though it is not. Only direct control of population density could soften the crash phase; as our civilization is now worldwide, such control would also necessarily have to be worldwide. All such ideas are currently so dangerous, so taboo that no leader can afford to even mention them in public. It is apparently so much easier to just allow the crash to happen 'naturally'.

This would be acceptable if the depth of the crash were in similar proportion to those of the past. But because of the greater mass and uncertainty involved in the technology and other factors of worldwide civilization, we may fall to much greater and more terrible depths. What to do, if anything?

Comments

• TEDCred score: +0.30 TEDCred reflects your contribution to the TED community.

• +1

  A comment on Conversation: Fill in the Blank - What the World needs now is __________ ?

  Jul 12 2012: Fewer human beings going forward. Choose a lower population by humane means or eventually have it done for us by cruel circumstances. Not one of our world problems will be solved or even reduced by having a higher population density.
• +2

  A comment on Conversation: The use of population control in the fight against climate change

  Feb 16 2011: Unquestionably population control should be used, because it would be far more humane than allowing the natural culling that will occur if we do not. Unfortunately the question is moot, because as a species we do not have the ability to reduce our fecundity soon enough. It is far too late to hope that the demographic transition in the affluent countries can eventually lift all the other boats out of poverty; the world does not have that much land and resource.
  
  I feel that purely technological solutions that allow us to continue increasing the population are going to fail eventually and catastrophically, as limits are surpassed. If the technology is so wonderful as to actually succeed, the world will be transformed into a horror, without a scrap of the nature that gave us birth.
  
  I would very much love to hear any kind of practical, workable methods of population control, which might actually be adopted by most governments.

• A comment on Talk: Willie Smits: How to restore a rainforest

  Mar 4 2009: It's obviously a workable recipe. Only one element necessary for long-term system balance was left unmentioned, and that is getting the people to stabilize their numbers. This is the most difficult and unmentionable element of all, but if the same attitude of practicality and sensitivity is applied, solutions do exist. But only very rarely do I hear this subject addressed forthrightly. Without it nothing - no combination of brilliant management and technology - will work in the long term.