...and dont forget the massive defensive advantage that living on an island
permits in an era most known for non-stop warring - which of course is
pretty much what pushed european technology ahead so fast, post a.d.1500.
numbers dont really have much power if they dont have any real substance
beyond sheer mass....and with little education presently provided, with
increased numbers it will merely get worse..sounds like an area ripe for
economic slavery to me. if quantity is more important that quality, we'd
still have buffalo running around and we'd still have passenger pigeons
blocking out the sun every now and then.
drsebby. looking for co-investors for tomorrows islamic sweat-shops
----Original Message Follows----
From: "Andy Brice" <andyb1@btclick.com>
Reply-To: virus@lucifer.com
To: <virus@lucifer.com>
Subject: Re: virus: Number Games by John Derbyshire
Date: Sun, 21 Jul 2002 22:50:08 +0100
>...It so happened that the first nation to conquer infant mortality, and
so
to
generate the resulting demographic tsunami, was Britain - a nation
with a long, strong tradition of law, rights, justice, and liberty. That
tremendous surge of population gave Victorian Britain the manpower,
and the energy, to dominate the world for decades. ...
I think this whole passage is based on dubious assumptions. What made
Britain powerful was the Industrial revolution, not a sudden increase in its
population.* The Victorians were able to use their superior technology and
organisation to subjugate and use the human and material resources of much
more populous nations, e.g. India.
Kenya has one of the fastest growing populations in the world. Its impact on
the rest of the world militarily, economically and culturally is minimal as
far as I am aware.
Andy Brice
*Perhaps the increase in, population was due to the industrial revolution. I
don't know.
DrSebby.
"Courage...and shuffle the cards".
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