JACKofTrades on 7/4/2010 at 22:41
Fuck, now I'm really scared. It seems that 'Noid and I have exactly the same thoughts regarding the beauty/mystery/usefulness/etc. of mathematics. :cool:
Epos Nix on 7/4/2010 at 23:35
I've read a (
http://www.japanesestudies.org.uk/discussionpapers/Chapple.html) couple articles like this one on the declining population in Japan. While many of these articles claim doom and gloom for the economy of the country, I see the effect as a natural balancing of population vs. available space and resources.
For me, this begs the question as to whether the population decline is a direct symptom of the overpopulation of the country. Is there a built in fail-safe embedded in us that instinctively demands that we stop reproducing or risk population implosion?
Muzman on 8/4/2010 at 00:53
Filthy pinko fearmongering mathematicians eh?
I remember fondly all that "Peak oil is bullshit!" press and chatter from a few years back. Bet they're glad climate change came along to steal the spotlight.
Speaking of which, I've been trying to figure (with advice from some clever types) a fairly succinct way to explain how human CO2 emmisions amounting to only about 4% of the total per anum is an irrelevant statistic to wave around. The real thing you want to know is the reuptake amount, which is only about 98%. And a two percent lag in the carbon cycle, which amounts to some tiny annual growth in atmospheric CO2, can increase the overall amount a lot in 100yrs.
But mostly when trying this out I remind myself that I suck at maths, and so does mostly everyone else. And now the video's done it again.
fett on 8/4/2010 at 05:53
I'm a utter fucking idiot and don't belong among you people at all. WHO THE HELL ARE YOU?
witherflower on 8/4/2010 at 11:00
Quote Posted by Epos Nix
For me, this begs the question as to whether the population decline is a direct symptom of the overpopulation of the country. Is there a built in fail-safe embedded in us that instinctively demands that we stop reproducing or risk population implosion?
I would assume there will come a point where the only way to go is downhill. The question is rather how we can control that decline ourselves- at least to a certain degree. As professor Albert Bartlett said in that video; we live in a society that worships growth and not realizing the value of decay and decline. They are two forces that balance eachother. However, as population increases the value of each individual will naturally fall in value. And that, ladies and gentlemen, really puts my belief system to the test. Like newtonian laws don't apply to quantum physics the notion that each and everyone of us is equally important don't work under said conditions.
DDL on 8/4/2010 at 12:49
Assuming we don't suddenly start colonising space successfully (which is a pretty safe assumption), the human population will crash. It's more of a question of whether this will be a 'managed' crash via natural wastage (electing to not breed, forced sterilisations, etc) or a messy one (war, riots, rabid crazies running amok, a third part of the sea being as blood, etc).
My money's on the second, but humans are ridiculously adaptable, so some of us'll make it through either way.
Epos Nix on 8/4/2010 at 20:18
I heard an asteroid worked pretty well for the dinosaurs... :p
st.patrick on 8/4/2010 at 20:30
Quite a few of the dinosaurs' nephews managed to survive.
Pyrian on 8/4/2010 at 22:05
Women's rights tends to bring population growth to a screeching halt. When women have the right to not reproduce, it's actually hard to keep the population from declining.
hopper on 8/4/2010 at 22:11
Dammit I knew it - those pesky women will be our doom one day. :mad:
