Cited Podcast The Green Lifeboat: Garrett Hardin’s Tragic Environmentalism
Oct 22, 2025
Peter Staudenmayer, a historian specializing in far-right environmentalism, dives into Garrett Hardin's impactful yet tragic legacy. They discuss how Hardin’s view linked overpopulation to environmental degradation, sowing the seeds of neo-Malthusian thought. The conversation explores Hardin's controversial advocacy for abortion and immigration limits, which intertwined ecological fears with eugenics. Critiques emerge, highlighting the rise of cooperative commons management models as a counter to Hardin's views, underscoring the ongoing implications of his ideas in today's eco-political landscape.
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Population Panic Defined Early Environmentalism
- The 1960s–70s population panic shaped early American environmentalism and popular culture.
- Fears of overpopulation framed pollution and resource scarcity as inevitable crises.
Farm Childhood Shaped Harsh Views
- Garrett Hardin recalled managing 500 chickens and killing one daily for lunch as a child.
- Childhood farm experiences shaped his view that "there simply isn't room for all the life that can be generated."
Applied Animal Models To Human Society
- Hardin applied animal population models like carrying capacity to humans as if no technological escape existed.
- He argued increased productivity would be absorbed by population growth, causing inevitable overshoot.
