The Population Problem: An Unorthodox View

Those of us who for years have been concerned, as students of population, with the increasing number of people on the earth feel some satisfaction, though not always of an unmixed kind, over the recent rise of interest in the problem. It seems to be one of those rare instances in which the anxieties of specialists suddenly become converted into a public issue. Most surprising is the new concern over continuing population growth in the United States itself, which has created some popular demand for a national antinatalist population policy. The Nixon administration, though hardly noted for its innovative tendencies, is the first to appoint a Commission on Population Growth and the American Future, assigned to explore the consequences of future growth and distribution and the relevance of government policies in a variety of areas.

Social scientists concerned with the underdeveloped countries have long been aware of the need for a slowing-up and even termination of their popula...