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The ostrich factor : our population myopia /

Garrett Hardin, one of our leading thinkers on problems of human overpopulation, here assails the recklessness and basic ecological ignorance of economists and others who champion the idea of unbounded growth. Hardin delivers an uncompromising critique of mainstream economic thinking. Science has lo...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Clasificación:Libro Electrónico
Autor principal: Hardin, Garrett, 1915-2003
Formato: Electrónico eBook
Idioma:Inglés
Publicado: New York : Oxford University Press, 1999.
Temas:
Acceso en línea:Texto completo
Descripción
Sumario:Garrett Hardin, one of our leading thinkers on problems of human overpopulation, here assails the recklessness and basic ecological ignorance of economists and others who champion the idea of unbounded growth. Hardin delivers an uncompromising critique of mainstream economic thinking. Science has long understood the limits of our environment, he notes, and yet economists consistently turn a blind eye to one feature we share with all of our planer's inhabitants -- the potential for irreversible environmental damage through overcrowding. And as humankind draws ever closer to its goat of conquering our final natural enemy -- disease -- the fallacy of sustainable unchecked population growth becomes more and more dangerous. Moreover, Hardin argues, rampant growth will soon force us to face many issues that we will find quite unpalatable -- most notably, that since volunteer population control will not work, we wilt have to turn to "democratic coercion" or "mutual coercion, mutually agreed upon" to limit growth, a policy that directly threatens long cherished personal rights. Challenging an array of powerful taboos, Hardin takes aim at sacred cows on both sides of the political fence -- affirmative action, multiculturalism, current immigration policies, and the greed and excess of big business and "growth intoxicated industrialists". Hardin's forceful and cogent argument for the union of ecology and economics is a must for anyone concerned with the goat of a bountiful yet sustainable world. Sure to spark controversy, this book underscores the urgency of our situation and reveals practical steps we must take to ensure the long term survival of humankind.
Descripción Física:1 online resource (viii, 168 pages)
Bibliografía:Includes bibliographical references (pages 155-163) and index.
ISBN:0585111952
9780585111957