Episode
The Population Bomb
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)
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.
EpisodeThe Population Bomb
PodcastIf 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)
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.
EpisodeThe Population Bomb
PodcastIf 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)
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.
EpisodeThe Population Bomb
PodcastIf 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)
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.
EpisodeThe Population Bomb
PodcastIf 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)
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.
EpisodeThe Population Bomb
PodcastIf 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)
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.
EpisodeThe Population Bomb
PodcastIf 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)
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.
EpisodeThe Population Bomb
PodcastIf 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)
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.
EpisodeThe Population Bomb
PodcastIf 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)
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.
EpisodeThe Population Bomb
PodcastIf 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)
Summary
The speaker critiques Amartya Sen's "Famine, Affluence, and Morality", highlighting the lack of recognition of the political nature of famines.
EpisodeThe Population Bomb
PodcastIf 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)
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.