why are we so special? - Page 2

Ah, I see, and good point, however untill we start manufacturing our own renewable resources for survival, wealth will never be attained by all, probably lost by all and so with your point, more breeding. Because what ever is worth money now that isn't able to be put in your car or eaten will become worth nothing, perhaps.

"Everybody's always after me Lucky Charms!" ( may just take on new meaning )

What wealth? The only wealth we cant manufacture is oil.

Everything else is man made, there are precious few "natural" resources that we use anymore, that can't be recycled.

Gold, precious metals (and we sure as shit don't manufcture that, alchemy is still falling short my friend), the Wealth that makes our paper in our walets not be just paper. Thats not just goods. And most of these goods you speak of are made of some sort of natural resource, we don't manufacture them from thin air. Food is renewable given proper climate stability and population control, as well as pest and disease control. Untill we have bio-spheres or near complete control of nature thats a disaster away form not existing, drought, meteorite, ice age, global warming, mad cow disease, ebola, you name it, nothing is a sure thing, but I also understand that the worst things may not happen fo r a thousand years, but they could happen tomorrow too.

And sure we can, and do to some extent recycle, but nowhere near enough to compensate for loss.

Metals can all be recycled. Gold is useless anyway. Other materials are often synthesized (plastics) or grown/recycled (paper).

Food can be made if you give farmers enough money, and GM crops show that it will be easier and easier.

There are enough resources, except oil and other fossil fuels. In fact the answer isn't "enough", its simply that resources are either reusable or are infinite (radioactive materials).

The theory that big population = disaster. Is simply wrong. China, India and Europe are the most densely populated on Earth, and though 2 of them are poor, they are stable and they are Great Powers, Europe is the second richest continent.

They haven't reached critical mass yet, odd how you so easily discount pure theory anyway, none of us can predict the future, all my statements have been untill something happens to correct certain issues which I don't doubt will happen, but population (specifically under such a "romantic" notion of so much value for human life, as is expressed here) I still foresee a bit of a problem. It may never get the opportunity to get its worst, but it may.

Not even metals are fully recyclable, there is no infinite resource, radioactive materials by nature are the most finite, they are all slowly turning to lead.

Besides, all these population issues aren't just for the grandest scale, we have problems in our biggest cities, like new york, right now, with school population and teacher ratios, shelter issues, etc.

And ya, gold is worthless, that was my point, but it is the foundation of wealth for many countries, including US.

There are still a lot of trees in the world right now too, doesn't mean they aren't trying really hard to correct that, and growing them takes far longer than cutting them down, and air is their biggest contribution, and I find air to be a valuable natural resource.

Put it this way : we can keep going for another few tens of thousands of years once we stop using oil.

U know that Mystic guy Rumi, he said this :

You may seem to be the microsm;
In fact, you are the macrosm.
The branch might seem like the fruits origin:
In fact, the branch exists because of the fruit.
Would the gardner have planted the tree at all
Withought a desire ad hope for fruit
Even if it seems the fruit is created by the tree.