Re: population: real problem, or capitalist plot?

I should have been clearer. You write, "if the population weren't growing 
in circumscribed area, there would be less stress on resources." I am 
saying it is the exact opposite: population grows precisely when stress 
on resources is, for some reason, temporarily relaxed. In the case of 
humans the reason is often social inventions that change the way the 
environment is exploited.

Paul

On Fri, 2 Jun 2000, Richard N Hutchinson wrote:

> On Fri, 2 Jun 2000, Paul Gomberg wrote:
> 
> > Richard,
> > 
> > An unusual and positive response, which shows we can learn through 
> > discussions. On Carneiro: the key truth in his theory of state origins 
>is 
> > the recognition of  the role of social or environmental 
>*circumscription* 
> > which limits the possibilities to move away from a particular 
> > geographical area. But the reason this is important has nothing to do 
> > with "population pressure;" rather the key point here is that state 
>power 
> > (the organization of concentrated overwhelming force under central 
> > command) is ineffective if folks can move away from it.
> 
> 
> Ah, but it it does have to do with population pressure -- if the
> population weren't growing in the circumscribed area there would be less
> stress on resources, and thus the rise of stratification and war could be
> averted.  Carneiro assumes population pressure, but specifies conditions
> under which it leads to the development of the state.
> 
> RH
> 
>