What growth means
Mainstream economists and nearly everyone else promotes growth—economic growth, which means population growth. They specifically want a minimum percentage growth per year, which means exponential, which, contrary to popular conception, means a specific pattern more than just a lot.
Exponential growth can’t last forever on a finite planet. Even if you think reaching other planets will help, it won’t help the people on this planet after others leave, and we’ll run out of galaxy to populate, even if we could reach other planets, in less time than has elapsed since ancient Egypt, assuming a modest 2% growth.
What growth means
More to the point, what does requiring growth mean? It’s not that subtle a concept.
Wanting growth means wanting more.
It means needing more, which means needy. Few properties are more repellent than neediness. Can you think of describing any one as, “Chris is really needy, which I find attractive.”?
Wanting growth means craving. I don’t see any other way around it. Some cultures consider craving the root of many human problems.
We’ve created a society based on wanting, neediness, and craving.
Is wanting, neediness, and craving what you want your society based on? How about enjoying what you have?
Despite what economists say, human life and civilization don’t need perpetual growth. Their models do, but confusing a model with reality will get you in trouble.
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