Declining Fertility
Recent research suggests there will be a significant reduction in the birth rate over the course of the next century. What would this mean if it were true? \n\nIn this podcast we discuss the accuracy of population forecasts, the assumptions they are based on, and the relationship between the number of people and factors such as productivity and societal innovation. We also attempt to predict some of the implications of an aging population with fewer children and ask whether there is an optimal number of human beings.\n\nA few things we mentioned in this podcast:\n- BBC coverage of declining fertility https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-53409521 \n- The \u2018Lump of Labour\u2019 fallacy https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lump_of_labour_fallacy \n- Derek Parfit\u2019s repugnant conclusion https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/repugnant-conclusion/ \n\nFind more Cognitive Engineering episodes here https://link.chtbl.com/SQeIgc44\n\nImage via PickPic