The Death of Civilization.

[Henri]

It is painfully clear that here in Europe, and in the western world more widely, we cannot sustain our current lifestyles. Europeans are not reproducing; the birth-rates in every European country are not sufficient to replace the population. This is the natural result of a materialist, individualistic order, where our cars and houses, technology and luxuries, are more important than raising a children. It has simply become economically irrational to have children. We are showing all of the signs of civilizational decline and exhaustion.

This will cause chaos in a number of ways. The rapidly ageing population will have to be sustained, and if the work-force has not been reproduced, we will not be able to accommodate these old people. There are two options to this dilemma. A full-scale privatization of all societal amenities and the welfare state, which is a platform on which no political party could win; or, we open up our doors to even higher levels of immigration, with the ensuing cultural and demographic changes increasing the risk of cultural conflict.

The Roman Empire was once in a similar position. They became decadent, obsessed with luxury, and completely dependent on barbarians; we are utterly dependent on immigrants, and will be more so in the future, but this cannot be maintained. The future looks bleak.

[Dan]

The problem is that the population growth of the world is so disproportionate. In many third world countries it is too high and in MEDCs it is too low.

Also, I don't see it as a bad thing that we aren't producing enough young, there are already problems with our ridiculous growth. Also, the fact that our population is being bolstered by immigrants is hardly a bad thing, it's how the world has always worked and always will.

I would say more but I don't know many facts so don't want to say anything unfounded.

[Piers1]

Yes, there is a problem of having a big older population, but the population is growing. We might exhaust ourselves of resources, just like what happened on Easter Island. They say that Easter Island once flourished in fauna but the inhabbitants used up everything and turned barbaric and ended up killing each other off.

[druchi]

Wow fear mongering at its finest there.

We have Immigration to fall back on a large hard working immigrant population so its not as if people aint thought about this.

Also I agree with Dan that population is eclectic across the earth and I cant remember the year but the population of the earth is expected to shoot up by another billion or two.

Cultural conflict isn't so much an issue these days wide access to the internet and more open information and a more tolerant society has allowed this, not saying racial tensions do not exist but compared to what they were this is nothing. Destroying the welfare state is a bad idea take into consideration the reasons that it was put into place and how this is still relevant today.

In short there is going to be no sudden death or collapse of 'society' just things are changing.

[Alice]

I see no problem with filling in the gaps with immigrants. Surely if their countries are too full and ours is too empty then the situation solves itself.

Cultural conflicts aren't somthing I'm concerned about. It seems to me pepole who want a conflict will find someone to dissagree with and those that don't won't.