Another phoney debate

The Forum for the Future, arguably Britain’s most prominent Malthusian non-governmental organisation, has followed the government’s lead in making a phoney call for a debate (see yesterday’s post). While the government wants us to discuss how best to impose austerity the sustainable development NGO (founder directors Sara Parkin and Jonathon Porritt) wants to debate how to handle the “problem” of population growth.

In a one page press release to accompany the publication of Growing Pains: Population and Sustainability in the UK, it uses several formulations to make its call. It wants a “national debate”, a “serious debate”, an “open and constructive discussion”, an “objective discussion” and an “open and sensible debate”.

A genuine debate on population would be welcome. That would enable humanists to put the case for progress, economic growth and why we should welcome more people into the world. In contrast, a “debate” that starts from the premise that people are in themselves a problem is not a genuine debate at all.

(Hat tip to James Woudhuysen).