It’s very common to think there is over population.  After all, it’s repeated ad nauseum.  However, the notion that there is over population is absurd.  Nobody can tell you what the population should be.  When they say there is over population, what they are really saying is there needs to be artificial population control.  Maybe even forcibly removing people from society.  Any claim of what the population should be is arbitrary.

The size of the market is limited to the size of the population.  The standard of living we have today is due to the population size.  Artificially lowering the population will lower our standard of living.  It would be death for some.  Some may never be born.   It’s a regression of civilization.  Artificial birth control will lead us back to barbarism.  Over population is fashionable now, but fallacious thinking. 

There are Malthusian checks to population growth.  Malthus never said what the optimum population was.  He just pointed out there was one.  Humans must produce at least subsistence for the population.  The population can’t grow beyond a certain number if that level isn’t met.  That is what Malthus pointed out was the limit to population growth.  A check in population growth is always checked by how much can be produced.

The shibboleth of the day is that we’ll run out of resources.  They will have to be replaced when that happens.  What will be used?  Nobody knows.  It would have already been invented if someone knew.  Maybe it has been invented, but isn’t cost effective yet.  Artificial birth control could reduce consumption, but an alternative will still be needed.  What if the inventor is never born because artificial measures are put into place?

Attempting to control the population is wrecking the economy.  The economy can produce what exists due to the current world population.   Each individual has an output.  The total output would fall if the population were artificially reduced.  There is not a population problem.  There is an education problem.  The masses wouldn’t think this is a problem if education was better.  Control is a problem.

Reference

Murray Rothbard; Man, Economy, and State