The Ultimate Resource / Julian Lincoln Simon.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Simon, Julian Lincoln, 1932-1998, author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Natural resources.

Economic policy.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (428 pages)

Edition:

First edition.

Place of Publication:

Princeton, New Jersey : Princeton University Press, [1981]

Summary:

A lively answer to those who sound alarms about population growth and resource useThe Ultimate Resource challenges conventional beliefs about the scarcity of energy and natural resources, the pollution of the environment, and the perils of overpopulation for our standard of living. In this provocative book, Julian Lincoln Simon argues that natural resources are not finite in any meaningful way, and that using such resources now will not slow the rate of future economic growth. In the short run, all resources are limited. A greater use of any resource means pressure on its supply and hence an increased price. In the long run, however, history shows that human creativity overcomes natural obstacles to economic growth and leads to a lower cost and price than before. The ultimate resource, Simon contends, is the human imagination coupled to the human spirit.This timely book will fundamentally change how you think about a host of issues, from immigration and human fertility to forecasts of population change and the use of taxpayer dollars for population control. The Ultimate Resource demonstrates that the primary constraint on our national and world economic growth is our capacity for the creation of new ideas. The more people who can be trained to help solve the problems that confront us, the faster we might remove the obstacles, and the greater the economic inheritance we can bequeath to our descendants.

Contents:

Cover Page

Half-title Page

Title Page

Copyright Page

Dedication Page

Acknowledgments

Contents

Introduction. What Are the Real Population and Resource Problems?

Part One: Toward Our Beautiful Resource Future

Chapter 1. The Amazing Theory of Raw-Material Scarcity

Afternote . The "True" Cost (Price) of Natural Resources

Chapter 2. Do Technological Forecasts and Economic Forecasts Necessarily Contradict Each Other?

Chapter 3. Can the Supply of Natural Resources Really Be Infinite? Yes!

Afternote 1. A Dialogue on "Finite

Afternote 2. The "Law" of Diminishing Returns

Chapter 4. Famine 1985? Or 1995? Or 1975?

Chapter 5. Food in the 1970s: From Shortage-Crisis to Glut-Crisis

Chapter 6. Are We Losing Ground?

Chapter 7. When Will We Run Out of Energy? Never!

Chapter 8. Today's Energy Issues

Chapter 9. More Pollution? Or Less?

Chapter 10. Should We Conserve Resources for Others' Sakes? What Kinds of Resources Need Conservation?

Part Two: Population Growth's Effect Upon Our Resources And Living Standard

Chapter 11. Standing Room Only? The Demographic Facts

Chapter 12. Do Humans Breed Like Flies? Or Like Norwegian Rats?

Chapter 13. Population Growth and the Stock of Capital

Afternote. A Parable of Population Growth, Racquetball, and Squash

Chapter 14. Population's Effects on Technology, Productivity, and Education

Afternote. On the Importance and Origins of Productive Knowledge

Chapter 15. Population Growth, Natural Resources, Future Generations, and International Rape

Chapter 16. Population Growth and Land

Chapter 17. Are People an Environmental Pollution?

Chapter 18. Population Density Does Not Damage Health, or Psychological and Social Well- Being

Chapter 19. The Big Economic Picture: Population Growth and Living Standards in MDCs.

Afternote. HOW Immigrants Affect Our Standard of Living

Chapter 20. The Big Picture II. LDCs

Afternote. The Limits to Growth

Part Three: Beyond The Data

Chapter 21. The Politics and Finances of Population Control

Chapter 22. The Rhetoric of Population Control: Does the End Justify the Means?

Afternote. Planned Parenthood's Rhetoric

Chapter 23. Ultimately - What Are Your Values?

Conclusion. The Ultimate Resource

Appendix

Notes

Source Notes /or Figures

References

Index.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Description based on print version record.

Other Format:

Print version: Simon, Julian Lincoln The Ultimate Resource

ISBN:

9780691261201

0691261202