Episode

The Population Bomb
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49:27
Published: Thu Dec 15 2022
Description

How a Stanford lepidopterist convinced the world to fear the breeding habits of the poor. Again. Support us on PatreonWhere to find us: TwitterPeter's other podcast, 5-4Mike's other podcast, Maintenance PhaseSources:Sonia Shah’s “The Next Great Migration” Barbarian Hordes: The overpopulation scapegoat in international development discourseOptimism and OverpopulationThe Population Bomb RevisitedThe Strange History of Birth ControlBirth Control for OthersHow the World Survived the Population Bomb: Lessons From 50 Years of Extraordinary Demographic HistoryWhy the Population Bomb is a Rockefeller Baby

Chapters
The Population Bomb is a book written by Stanford professor Paul Erlich in 1968 that predicted overpopulation across the globe.
00:00 - 01:32 (01:32)
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Overpopulation
Summary

The Population Bomb is a book written by Stanford professor Paul Erlich in 1968 that predicted overpopulation across the globe. The concept of overpopulation and its potential consequences have been around for centuries and caused fear and drastic measures throughout history.

Episode
The Population Bomb
Podcast
If Books Could Kill
The podcast discusses the media's portrayal of peak population fears, which often depicts sad and squalid conditions.
01:32 - 06:04 (04:32)
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Peak Population Fears
Summary

The podcast discusses the media's portrayal of peak population fears, which often depicts sad and squalid conditions. The speaker talks about a Time magazine cover that emphasizes the need for dramatic programs to increase food production and distribution.

Episode
The Population Bomb
Podcast
If Books Could Kill
The podcast discusses the potential consequences of uncontrolled population growth, including mass death and deranged population control policies, as well as the impact of population density on the planet's resources.
06:05 - 12:10 (06:05)
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Overpopulation
Summary

The podcast discusses the potential consequences of uncontrolled population growth, including mass death and deranged population control policies, as well as the impact of population density on the planet's resources.

Episode
The Population Bomb
Podcast
If Books Could Kill
The podcast discusses how this vision was flawed and had subtle racist undertones as the speaker spoke about the rise of crime and social unrest due to urbanization and the doubling of population every 35 years.
12:10 - 17:33 (05:23)
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Urbanization
Summary

The podcast discusses how this vision was flawed and had subtle racist undertones as the speaker spoke about the rise of crime and social unrest due to urbanization and the doubling of population every 35 years.

Episode
The Population Bomb
Podcast
If Books Could Kill
The author discusses how environmental disasters are portrayed in literature and how they've often been disregarded or forgotten over time, using the example of a famous book in which a proposal to dust acres of Arizona with a pesticide was stopped by lawsuits, and the author's 25-page description of a global pandemic.
17:33 - 21:42 (04:08)
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Environment
Summary

The author discusses how environmental disasters are portrayed in literature and how they've often been disregarded or forgotten over time, using the example of a famous book in which a proposal to dust acres of Arizona with a pesticide was stopped by lawsuits, and the author's 25-page description of a global pandemic.

Episode
The Population Bomb
Podcast
If Books Could Kill
An examination of a potential proposal to cut welfare benefits for those with more than three children and a discussion around the importance of environmental policy and holding corporations accountable for pollution spills.
21:42 - 27:10 (05:28)
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Welfare, Environment
Summary

An examination of a potential proposal to cut welfare benefits for those with more than three children and a discussion around the importance of environmental policy and holding corporations accountable for pollution spills.

Episode
The Population Bomb
Podcast
If Books Could Kill
The speaker proposes sending TVs to rural areas of poor countries in order to discourage people from having babies, and suggests focusing solely on those in need during hospital triage mode.
27:10 - 30:59 (03:48)
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Population Control
Summary

The speaker proposes sending TVs to rural areas of poor countries in order to discourage people from having babies, and suggests focusing solely on those in need during hospital triage mode.

Episode
The Population Bomb
Podcast
If Books Could Kill
A book’s discussion of climate change policies is criticized for not addressing the hard choices that need to be made to ensure a habitable planet, while instead focusing on minor daily inconveniences.
30:59 - 38:37 (07:37)
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Climate Change
Summary

A book’s discussion of climate change policies is criticized for not addressing the hard choices that need to be made to ensure a habitable planet, while instead focusing on minor daily inconveniences.

Episode
The Population Bomb
Podcast
If Books Could Kill
The origins of the anti-contraception and anti-abortion movements in the US can be traced back to right-wing millionaires who created anti-family planning organizations.
38:37 - 42:34 (03:57)
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Anti-contraception, Anti-abortion movements in the US
Summary

The origins of the anti-contraception and anti-abortion movements in the US can be traced back to right-wing millionaires who created anti-family planning organizations. These reactionary movements grew out of the organization, Zero Population Growth, and were supported by poor countries run by dictators at the time.

Episode
The Population Bomb
Podcast
If Books Could Kill
The speaker critiques Amartya Sen's "Famine, Affluence, and Morality", highlighting the lack of recognition of the political nature of famines.
42:34 - 45:15 (02:40)
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Amartya Sen
Summary

The speaker critiques Amartya Sen's "Famine, Affluence, and Morality", highlighting the lack of recognition of the political nature of famines.

Episode
The Population Bomb
Podcast
If Books Could Kill
The resurgence of the overpopulation argument in international development discourse is a psychological phenomenon that parallels how poor people are talked about in the US.
45:15 - 49:09 (03:54)
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Overpopulation
Summary

The resurgence of the overpopulation argument in international development discourse is a psychological phenomenon that parallels how poor people are talked about in the US. It reemerges under the guise of asking tough questions about overpopulation in the context of climate change.

Episode
The Population Bomb
Podcast
If Books Could Kill