Population Growth-Which is Better?
Progress vs. Problems
Read this chart of opposing viewpoints relating to population growth. Which side do you think has the stronger argument?
Viewpoint 1
Growth Means Progress Viewpoint 2
Growth Brings Problems
1. A growing population means a larger market for goods and thus more prosperity and industrial growth.
1. A large population strains the government if there are not enough resources to cannot feed, cloth, and educate its population.
2. A large population gives a country greater political and military power. 2. In an age of nuclear weapons, large populations do not automatically translate into political or military power.
3. When a country has a large population, there is a greater pool of human resources to draw from and thus more progress is possible in all fields.
3. More people simply strain the economy if they cannot find jobs or if the economy is in decline.
4. We are not running out of resources, since we learn to use them more efficiently and discover new sources for them, including recycling them.
4. We are running out of easily accessible natural resources, and future exploitation of resources will be more difficult and costly.
5. Some of the richest countries in the world have high population densities and yet are not considered to be overpopulated.
5. The smaller the country’s population is, the more manageable it is, regardless of its level of wealth.
6. Not all crowded cities have urban problems such as crime. Poor economic management and corrupt governments are among the reasons for urban problems, as opposed to simply overpopulation.
6. Many of the social problems in the world such as pollution, rising crime rates, and other social problems are the result, directly or indirectly, of overcrowding in cities and towns.
QUESTION
Choose the viewpoint that you think has the stronger argument and write a research- supported paragraph (3/4 to 1.5 page) supporting your choice.
Be sure to discuss a population theorist by name and his idea that supports each argument as well as a researched, specific fact. Use embedded citations and a references list. No direct quotes.
