Why do we resist population control?

Question

If all of humanity followed China's plan, limiting each couple to one child, would that not go the longest way to limiting warfare, and pollution, and global warming? Why do people seem to think this is some terrible idea, and insist on bringing as many people into the world as possible, whether they can be fed and housed or not? Don't most of our problems stem from the simple fact that just within the last century, we have expanded like a virus, and there are just TOO MANY human beings for our own, and the planet's good? Why don't we take Thomas Malthus' economics seriously?

Answer 1

I think it takes proper education to spread this sort of awareness. Humans will naturally not want to be controlled and told how many children they should have for the well being of our own kind. However, it IS vital to control the population for the survival of our species. It's just hard for people to understand this or even put this point across.

Answer 2

Why do people thin that we have excess population? We have plenty of food to feed every person on the planet (Its a distribution problem that resutls in famine).

The greatest population control method that exists today is prosperity. One need only look at the industrialized nations to see proof. Europe and Japan have declining populations, the US population is growing, but only because of immigratoin--NOT BIRTHS!!

We don't take Malthus seriously because he was wrong. So was Paul Ehrlich. These guys constantly underestimate human intelligence and ability.

Answer 3

One of the main reasons is because a lot of people support 'pro-life' movements, it may not mean much but think about it, when, for example, someone already has twenty children and a number twenty one is about to be born but the parent has a choice to do abortion but because of all these 'pro-life' actions, that parent will commit a mortal sin in religion, and that parent will be looked down on and people will claim that he/she is a murderer for aborting that baby.

I think the only possible solution to stop all the problems caused by over population is to just search for a planet that is safe for carbon based life forms like us humans. It may be far fetched but it may be the only option unless you want to reclaim all the oceans in this world.

Answer 4

We have always had wars. Limiting population will NOT stop wars.

As to limiting population for other reasons, that will happen anyway, one way or another. The one and only way to slow population growth that has worked over and over again is to make people rich. The US would have a SHRINKING population it it were not for for immigration from poor countries. China has slowed their population growth less from legal means and more from economic expansion. Anyway, I do not want some totalitarian government like they have in China telling me what to do. I will fight any such attempt. That would be war. So if you try to outlaw second children, you will CAUSE war, not prevent it.

Answer 5

The population is going to stabilize of its own accord in the next few decades--or at least that's what all the demographic trends show.

So what do we need population control for? Other than that some people want to use it as an excuse to tell other people how to live their lives.

Answer 6

Because no one wants to be the person who was killed to control that population. It's a question of human rights vs. logistics.

Answer 7

beacause we as people, have a stupid instinct that even the weak should live. but they need to realize that 6.5 billion people is just too many, and they should think about what they r doing to the planet.

Answer 8

It's an infringment on our basic human rights to have children.

Most people do not want to be told what to do and be ruled by an Iron fist.

Freedom is what I stand for, not control.

Answer 9

Because the human animal is hell bent on self destruction we just don't know when enough is enough.

Answer 10

have you looked around america? THERE IS TONS OF ROOM FOR BILLIONS MORE PEOPLE, it's the cities that are overcrowded. most of the us is unused wasteland than could be developed...