RE: Why do I want to practice CR? Overpopulation

April 9, 2003

Death by old age culls the population 2 generations behind the breeding

generation. The breeding population is where the exponential growth is

occuring, and is always a larger population than the generation being removed.

Thus death by old age is not a significant regulation of population - there is

no reason to believe that removing it leads to a signifiantly faster population

growth. The key to controlling population is reducing birthrate, not

maintaining (or increasing) death rate.

In thinking about this over the years, I think when we see significant life

extension, you'll find that people have children much later in life, slowing

population growth. Also, since major population growth comes from poor/less

educated people statistically, you'll find that people who already have less

children living forever, and those who still have many children not living

'forever' (no causality implied ;-). At least until the technology is available

to all, at which time I think you'll find the reproductive strategy to be more

in line with what you see in wealthy/educated American today as opposed to,

say, current Mexico City.

+ Jo

> From: Francesca Skelton

>

> Jef: thanks for the intro. It's nice to know a bit about you.

>

> Sounds like you think we should aim for living " forever " . What about

> overpopulation? Do we stop reproducing? Do we start populating other

> planets? Won't we run out of space and resources if we live lots longer

> and keep having young'uns???

>

> on 4/8/2003 12:38 PM, nutrinaut at neologisticscald@... wrote:

>

> > Old age is an outrage. It is the prime killer throughout human

> > history and the most important cause of human suffering.

> > This has to stop. Governments all over the world should put their

> > money into anti-aging research instead into defense.

> >

> > I want to practice CR because all these technological wonders might

> > be further off than expected and also because the diet considerably

> > reduces your risk of an early death from heart disease or cancer.

> > Jef

>

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