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EP #31 The Truth About Overpopulation w/ Dr. Marian L. Tupy & Dr. Gale L. Pooley

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Mar 2, 2023

Dr. Marian L. Tupy, editor at HumanProgress.org and co-author of Superabundance, teams up with Dr. Gale L. Pooley, associate professor at Brigham Young University–Hawaii, to discuss population growth's surprising positives. They explore how the world is becoming increasingly abundant, debunking myths of overpopulation. With fascinating insights on innovation, resource accessibility, and the role of AI in education, they challenge traditional views on scarcity, promoting a hopeful outlook on human flourishing and technological advancement.

01:21:53

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insights

INSIGHT

Superabundance Definition

Resources become more abundant as the population grows, not scarcer as commonly thought.
This "superabundance" occurs because each human adds knowledge and value, exceeding their consumption.

insights

INSIGHT

Time Prices

Measure abundance with "time prices", representing the time needed to earn something, not just money.
Time prices allow comparison across countries and times, transcending inflation and currency issues.

question_answer

ANECDOTE

Basic 50

From 1980-2018, the time needed to acquire basic resources dropped 72% globally, a 250% abundance increase.
For millennia, abundance stagnated, but recent globalization caused the biggest poverty reduction ever.

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The Paradox of Abundance

04:19 • 16min

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The Intersection of AI, Health, and Abundance

20:28 • 3min

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Rethinking Resources and Innovation

23:28 • 26min

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Shifting Perspectives on Overpopulation and Abundance

49:11 • 6min

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Navigating Time and Resource Inequality

54:55 • 9min

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The Promise of Abundance and Innovation

01:03:58 • 5min

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Embracing Abundance and Independence

01:08:59 • 12min

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Abundance

The Future Is Better Than You Think

Peter H. Diamandis

Steven Kotler

In this book, Peter H. Diamandis and Steven Kotler present a contrarian view that the future is brighter than commonly perceived. They document how exponential technologies, DIY innovators, technophilanthropists, and the rising billion (the world's poor empowered by modern communication technology) are conspiring to solve global problems such as access to clean water, food, energy, healthcare, education, and freedom. The authors provide examples and strategic roadmaps for governments, industries, and entrepreneurs to address these challenges, offering a optimistic outlook on the potential for technological innovation to improve human living standards.

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In *The Zero Marginal Cost Society*, Jeremy Rifkin argues that the Internet of Things is driving us toward an era of nearly free goods and services, leading to the rise of a global Collaborative Commons and challenging traditional capitalist structures. Rifkin discusses how this shift could fundamentally change societal values and economic systems, moving from scarcity to abundance and altering the nature of work and property ownership.

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Published in 1986, 'Engines of Creation' is a seminal work by K. Eric Drexler that introduces and predicts the vast potential of nanotechnology. The book discusses molecular assemblers, which can construct objects atom by atom, and explores their implications for fields such as medicine, environmental science, and space colonization. Drexler also addresses the social, moral, and governmental systems needed to manage the immense power of nanotechnology, including cautionary scenarios like the 'gray goo' hypothesis. The book is notable for its visionary and sometimes controversial predictions, which have influenced both scientific and science fiction communities.

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Anne H. Ehrlich

Paul Ehrlich

Published in 1968, 'The Population Bomb' by Paul and Anne Ehrlich predicts catastrophic consequences, including mass starvation and environmental ruin, due to unchecked population growth. The book argues that immediate action is necessary to control population growth to prevent these dire outcomes. Although many of the Ehrlichs' predictions did not come to pass, the book significantly raised awareness about population and environmental issues and influenced public policy in the 1960s and 1970s. The authors emphasize the need for conscious regulation of human numbers and highlight the strain that growing populations place on the natural world.

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Superabundance

Gale L. Pooley

Marian L. Tupy

In 'Superabundance', Marian L. Tupy and Gale L. Pooley challenge conventional wisdom by showing that population growth has led to increased resource abundance. They argue that more people generate more ideas, leading to innovations that improve living standards. The book emphasizes the importance of freedom in fostering this 'superabundance'.

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The Rational Optimist

How Prosperity Evolves

Matt Ridley

In 'The Rational Optimist', Matt Ridley presents a bold and provocative interpretation of economic history, arguing that the innate human tendency to trade goods and services, along with specialization, is the source of modern human civilization. The book covers the entire sweep of human history from the Stone Age to the Internet, highlighting how life is improving at an accelerating rate through increased food availability, income, and life span, while disease, child mortality, and violence are decreasing globally. Ridley emphasizes the role of free trade, individual rights, and innovation in enhancing human prosperity and natural biodiversity despite potential setbacks.

In this episode, Marian, Gale, and Peter discuss the meaning of SuperAbundance, how the world is the best it’s ever been, and go over a variety of different commodities that have become increasingly cheaper and accessible to the worldwide population.

You will learn about:

10:16 | Everything is becoming abundantly cheaper.
35:16 | Will we be overpopulated, or will we be underpopulated?
53:36 | Screw the good old days!

Dr. Marian L. Tupy is the editor of HumanProgress.org, and the co-author of Ten Global Trends Every Smart Person Should Know: And Many Others You Will Find Interesting. Dr. Gale L. Pooley is an associate professor at Brigham Young University–Hawaii and co-authored the Simon Abundance Index alongside Dr. Tupy. Their new book, Superabundance: The Story of Population Growth, Innovation, and Human Flourishing on an Infinitely Bountiful Planet, is available everywhere.

Learn more about their book, Superabundance, and their project, Human Progress.

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