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Malthus redux, and still blind in the same eye
1Department of Economics,Waikato Management School,University of Waikato,Private bag 3105,Hamilton 3240,New Zealand.don.ross931@gmail.com.
The Behavioral and Brain Sciences
|August 27, 2016
Summary
Ecological pessimism, as argued by Gowdy & Krall, overlooks technology's role in fostering human individualism and potentially averting disaster. Innovation complicates Malthusian predictions for human ecological futures.
Area of Science:
- Ecology
- Environmental Science
- Sociology
Background:
- Recapitulates Malthus's argument for ecological pessimism.
- Critiques modern biological interpretations of Malthusian theory.
Purpose of the Study:
- To analyze the role of technological innovation in human ecological prospects.
- To challenge the deterministic ecological pessimism of Malthusian arguments.
Main Methods:
- Critical analysis of existing ecological and sociological theories.
- Comparative study of agricultural and technological impacts on human societies.
Main Results:
- Technological innovation fosters human individualism, contrary to agricultural suppression.
- Human ecological prospects are complicated in non-Malthusian ways by technology.
- Technology may provide resources for mitigating ecological disaster.
Conclusions:
- Malthusian ecological pessimism is an incomplete framework.
- Technological advancements offer a potential pathway to overcoming ecological challenges.
- Future human-ecological interactions are complex and influenced by innovation.
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