The bet
by Paul Sabin · first published 2013
3mentions
3recommended by
3HN commenters
2013–2019first – last mentioned
100% recommend
" In 1980, the iconoclastic economist Julian Simon challenged celebrity biologist Paul Ehrlich to a bet. Their wager on the future prices of five metals captured the public's imagination as a test of coming prosperity or doom. Ehrlich, author of the landmark book The Population Bomb, predicted that rising populations would cause overconsumption, resource scarcity, and famine-with apocalyptic consequences for humanity. Simon optimistically countered that human welfare would flourish thanks to flexible markets, technological change, and our collective ingenuity. Simon and Ehrlich's debate reflec
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…End Of The Universe by Sean Carrol 5. Churchil Bomb by Graham Farmello 6. The Science Of Memory by Charles Fernyhough 7. The Anatomy of Violence: The biological roots of crime by Adrian Raine 8. The Bet: Paul Ehrlich, Julian Simon, and our gamble over Earth’s future by Paul Sabin 9. Experiencing Art: In the brain of the beholder by Arthur Shimamura 10. The Spark: A Mother’s Story of Nurturing Genius…
on “Ask HN: What was the best book you read in 2013?” ↗…assumes that seawater extraction will never be economically viable, one possible source of error. If you're interested in the history of "peak resources" here is a good book about Paul Ehrlich's famous bet with Julian L. Simon: http://www.amazon.com/The-Bet-Ehrlich-Julian-Earth%C2%92s/dp...
on “2015 “smashed” 2014’s global temperature record” ↗Thanks for bringing this up! An excellent book on this is: The Bet: Paul Ehrlich, Julian Simon, and Our Gamble over Earths Future by Paul Sabin
on “Is it still ok to have kids in face of climate change?” ↗