The Jordan B. Peterson Podcast
284. Superabundance: The Age of Plenty | Marian Tupy, Gale Pooley
Sep 1, 2022
Marian Tupy, co-author of "Super Abundance" and editor at humanprogress.org, teams up with Gale Pooley, an Associate Professor at Brigham Young University, to debunk myths about overpopulation. They explore the connection between innovation and resource availability, challenging dystopian views of scarcity. The duo discusses how perceived limits on population growth hinder progress, and how historical economic trends highlight our resilience. They emphasize the importance of free speech and human capital in fostering innovation and improving societal outcomes.
01:52:28
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Quick takeaways
- Resource abundance surpasses population growth, fostering economic growth.
- Historical data shows exponential growth in personal prosperity and resource availability.
Deep dives
Misconceptions of Population Growth and Resource Scarcity
In the post-Second World War era, concerns arose about global population growth outpacing available resources, leading to fears of scarcity and mass starvation. Influential figures like Paul Ehrlich's book 'The Population Bomb' in 1968 fueled these apocalyptic predictions, sparking psychological impact despite a lack of realization of the catastrophic scenarios. The Julian Simon-Paul Ehrlich bet in 1980 on resource prices revealed that despite significant population growth, resource prices decreased by 36%, challenging the Malthusian notion of resource depletion.
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