Solving Population Decline Through Science Fiction
Real-world solutions might be expensive or politically unpopular,
so why not take a page from SF?
https://reactormag.com/solving-population-decline-through-science-fiction/
On 7/27/26 07:25, James Nicoll wrote:
Solving Population Decline Through Science Fiction
Real-world solutions might be expensive or politically unpopular,
so why not take a page from SF?
https://reactormag.com/solving-population-decline-through-science-
fiction/
˙˙˙˙And here is the real world experience:
How to increase Birth Rate ? Lessons from Tokyo˙ by emaglive <https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2026/7/21/800073305/community/how-to- increase-birth-rate-lessons-from-tokyo/>
˙˙˙˙Not too expensive when the product is so much desired.
Solving Population Decline Through Science Fiction
Real-world solutions might be expensive or politically unpopular,
so why not take a page from SF?
https://reactormag.com/solving-population-decline-through-science-fiction/
On 7/27/2026 11:13 AM, BobbieSellers wrote:<https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2026/7/21/800073305/community/how-to-
On 7/27/26 07:25, James Nicoll wrote:
Solving Population Decline Through Science Fiction
Real-world solutions might be expensive or politically unpopular,
so why not take a page from SF?
https://reactormag.com/solving-population-decline-through-science-
fiction/
????And here is the real world experience:
How to increase Birth Rate ? Lessons from Tokyo? by emaglive
increase-birth-rate-lessons-from-tokyo/>
????Not too expensive when the product is so much desired.
Interesting. That's the first time I've heard of a plan that might
actually be working.
At the moment, having kids is a massive financial drain on a
couple or a single woman. That would have to be reversed.
There's been 'bachelor taxes' on the childless since Roman
times.
We need to subsidize childbearing and raising to the point
where 'mother' is a viable career path for women.
On Mon, 27 Jul 2026 12:59:36 -0400, Cryptoengineer
<petertrei@gmail.com> wrote:
On 7/27/2026 11:13 AM, BobbieSellers wrote:
On 7/27/26 07:25, James Nicoll wrote:
Solving Population Decline Through Science Fiction
Real-world solutions might be expensive or politically unpopular,
so why not take a page from SF?
https://reactormag.com/solving-population-decline-through-science-
fiction/
˙˙˙˙And here is the real world experience:
How to increase Birth Rate ? Lessons from Tokyo˙ by emaglive
<https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2026/7/21/800073305/community/how-to-
increase-birth-rate-lessons-from-tokyo/>
˙˙˙˙Not too expensive when the product is so much desired.
Interesting. That's the first time I've heard of a plan that might
actually be working.
At the moment, having kids is a massive financial drain on a
couple or a single woman. That would have to be reversed.
My understanding is that kids have /always/ been a high-maintenance
item.
There's been 'bachelor taxes' on the childless since Roman
times.
IIRC, Athenian citizens (all male; the females were of the same class
but not citizens) were required, by age 35, to have produced (in
conjunction with his wife) at least one child or be fined one talent
of gold. Which was lot of money, even for an Athenian citizen.
We need to subsidize childbearing and raising to the point
where 'mother' is a viable career path for women.
All you need to do is show a 1%er how he can make money on the deal
and it will happen.
In article <114ao0a$7ovp$1@dont-email.me>,
Cryptoengineer <petertrei@gmail.com> wrote:
On 7/28/2026 11:56 AM, Paul S Person wrote:
On Mon, 27 Jul 2026 12:59:36 -0400, Cryptoengineer
<petertrei@gmail.com> wrote:
On 7/27/2026 11:13 AM, BobbieSellers wrote:
On 7/27/26 07:25, James Nicoll wrote:
Solving Population Decline Through Science Fiction
Real-world solutions might be expensive or politically unpopular,
so why not take a page from SF?
https://reactormag.com/solving-population-decline-through-science- >>>>>> fiction/
˙˙˙˙And here is the real world experience:
How to increase Birth Rate ? Lessons from Tokyo˙ by emaglive
<https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2026/7/21/800073305/community/how-to- >>>>> increase-birth-rate-lessons-from-tokyo/>
˙˙˙˙Not too expensive when the product is so much desired.
Interesting. That's the first time I've heard of a plan that might
actually be working.
At the moment, having kids is a massive financial drain on a
couple or a single woman. That would have to be reversed.
My understanding is that kids have /always/ been a high-maintenance
item.
Less true in the past. Once the kid got to about 5, it could start to
help around the house. Expenses were a lot lower.
There's also the factor that before available and effective
contraception, most married women didn't have much choice in the
matter - they were going to have multiple kids regardless of
there preferences.
That's not entirely true or Augustus wouldn't have had to bring in
the Celebicy laws. Romans knew enough about sex to avoid having
expensive Roman-Citizen kids. (And of course they weren't "celibate"
in the modern sense: The men could enjoy certain acts with their
wives, and have bastards with slaves & mistresses).
Because the Romans could not provide enough people for the
armies we had non-Roman contingents attached to the armies in
the field.
BobbieSellers <bliss-sf4ever@dslextremeinvalid.com> wrote in news:114b2j7$bm4q$1@dont-email.me:
Because the Romans could not provide enough people for the
armies we had non-Roman contingents attached to the armies in
the field.
Rome had non-Roman contingents attached to the armies because that's
what Rome did (all the way back to fairly early in the Roman
Republic). It's how Rome won and held its empire.
On Mon, 27 Jul 2026 12:59:36 -0400, Cryptoengineer
<petertrei@gmail.com> wrote:
There's been 'bachelor taxes' on the childless since Roman
times.
IIRC, Athenian citizens (all male; the females were of the same class
but not citizens) were required, by age 35, to have produced (in
conjunction with his wife) at least one child or be fined one talent
of gold. Which was lot of money, even for an Athenian citizen.
Odd, that one doesn't get mentioned on the Wikipedia page for
Bachelor Tax. If you have a citation, you could add it.
There was a bachelor tax in Montana as recently as the 1920s.
We need to subsidize childbearing and raising to the point
where 'mother' is a viable career path for women.
All you need to do is show a 1%er how he can make money on the deal
and it will happen.
Musk talks a lot about raising the birth rate (and has certainly put
some *very* personal effort into it).
I'd like to see him put his money where his mouth is, and pay bonuses, >daycare, and healthcare for his employee's children.
We need to subsidize childbearing and raising to the point where
'mother' is a viable career path for women.
On Mon, 27 Jul 2026 12:59:36 -0400, Cryptoengineer wrote:
We need to subsidize childbearing and raising to the point where
'mother' is a viable career path for women.
We need to incorporate advances in biotechnology, too (hey, this is an
SF group after all). I think we need to become an egg-laying species
-- then both parents can take turns gestating the young, it doesn?t
all have to be on one sex.
Or we could take Aldous Huxley?s ?Brave New World? approach of growing everybody in vats ...
I have wondered why God did not make humans marsupials.
On Mon, 27 Jul 2026 12:59:36 -0400, Cryptoengineer wrote:
We need to subsidize childbearing and raising to the point where
'mother' is a viable career path for women.
We need to incorporate advances in biotechnology, too (hey, this is an
SF group after all). I think we need to become an egg-laying species
-- then both parents can take turns gestating the young, it doesn?t
all have to be on one sex.
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