The Economist (August 27)
The discovery of the star Proxima Centauri is piquing imaginations. “What is exciting about this new world is not what is known—which, so far, is almost nothing…. It is what is unknown and the possibilities it may contain. It is the chance that there is life beneath that turbulent red sun, and that humans might be able to recognise it from 40 trillion kilometres away.”
Tags: Discovery, Exciting, Humans, Life, Possibilities, Proxima Centauri, Star, Sun, Turbulent, Unknown
New York Times (April 6)
“In reality, slower population growth creates enormous possibilities for human flourishing.” Japan may be at the forefront of graying societies, but the nation is hardly alone. Most developed countries are already shrinking. Many developing countries, like China, are soon forecast to contract. This is fueling “dark prophecies” and causing alarm over the future. It shouldn’t. “Population doom of one kind or another is a recurring fad. Like most fads, this one can be safely ignored. Humanity has many legitimate problems to worry about. Falling fertility is not one of them.”
Tags: Alarm, China, Dark prophecies, Developing countries, Doom, Fad, Fertility, Future, Graying, Humanity, Japan, Population growth, Possibilities, Reality
