3-3. What about overpopulation? (Cryonics)
Description
This article is from the Cryonics FAQ, by Tim Freeman tim@infoscreen.com with numerous contributions by others.
3-3. What about overpopulation? (Cryonics)
At present, an insignificant fraction of the population is
participating in cryonics. Thus, by any measure, cryonics with the
popularity it has now will never contribute significantly to
overpopulation.
Assuming an exponentially increasing population, immortality only
changes the population by a constant factor. Thus it doesn't
change the nature of the crisis, only the details. Also, before we
overpopulate the earth, we will have ready access to outer space,
which will, of course, give us much more room for expansion than
just our home planet.
Also, as countries become wealthier, they tend to have fewer children.
The cause of this is unclear; perhaps it is because children are much
more likely to survive in wealthy countries, and thus the parents do
not need to try as many times to have children that survive to
adulthood. Any civilization sufficiently advanced to revive people in
cryonic suspension will be sufficiently wealthy and advanced that
people will not need or desire as many children as people do in the
third world today.
If cryonics and other paths to life extension were prevented to keep
population under control, then that would be killing one person so
another person can have children.
CRYOMSG's 398, 582, 583, and 585 through 589 have more on this topic.
Continue to:
My Books
