Malthus was more or less right - he just failed to predict a couple of game-changing technological developments in The West (principally, the use of energy slaves, and the Haber-Bosch process). Things don’t always adjust - we just got lucky. The other 70%+ of the planet are still firmly in Malthusian territory. If you want to see a textbook example of what happens when breeding rate outstrips food production, go to the Philippines or Bangladesh. And remember the planet IS finite. It has a certain carrying capacity and we’ve already exceeded it. The technological innovations that (presently) keep us alive are transient, stopgap measures that are already starting to fail.
All things considered, too few kids is better than too many.
That’s awesome. It’s like getting a kitten [/quote]
From what I read, the box is so well designed, that it has even lowered the cases of sudden infant death syndrome, plus, as this system has been in use for something like 50 years, it is considered a family heirloom and inherited with the respect it deserves.
EDIT:
Here, it’s Finland (do they need/accept immigrants?):
Those Finns certainly know a thing or two about child-rearing. There’s a documentary out there about the Finnish education system, which is (arguably) one of the best in the world.
Yeah, me too. It’s pathetically easy for Europeans to visit (those who are prepared to learn Finnish are entitled to live and work there) but for some reason I’ve never got around to getting on that plane.
Funnily enough, Finns don’t seem at all worried about their sparse population or low birth rate (which is below replacement). That suggests to me that neither has any bearing on economic success or quality of life, as long as your population is smart enough to adapt around it. True, Finland has experienced various economic problems, but for the same sort of reasons as any other capitalist country.
[quote=“finley”]Yeah, me too. It’s pathetically easy for Europeans to visit (those who are prepared to learn Finnish are entitled to live and work there) but for some reason I’ve never got around to getting on that plane.
Funnily enough, Finns don’t seem at all worried about their sparse population or low birth rate (which is below replacement). That suggests to me that neither has any bearing on economic success or quality of life, as long as your population is smart enough to adapt around it. True, Finland has experienced various economic problems, but for the same sort of reasons as any other capitalist country.[/quote]
On the contrary, Finns are quite worried about low birth rate, just look at the population pyramid and you understand why. Our former PM suggested getting 1,8 million immigrants to support economy when older generations finally gets to retire. I would hope lowering taxation and making more opportunities available that people could support themselves and not to beg help from the government.
Another Malthusian. I enjoy dystopian science fiction as much as the next guy, but I’m much more optimistic about the human race’s ability to survive and adapt.
Prime Minister Viktor Orban announced the exemption in his state of the nation address Sunday, during which he also said families raising two or more children will be given preferential loans to buy homes.
Taiwan can consider preferential loans to buy homes, too, for the younger generation to spur more kids, as well as huge discounts on daycare fees for single- and dual-income parents.
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