LPAC Class Series

Still reading “There are no limits to Growth”. I was struck by this passage "This is most directly illustrated by consulting the writings of the leading apologist for the philosophical outlook of Delphi, Aristotle, especially his evil Politics and Nicomachean Ethics. There is no evil practiced by the Malthusians’ factional forces which is not recommended in those latter two literary sources.

LaRouche, Lyndon H.. There Are No Limits to Growth (pp. 35-36). EIR News Service, Inc.. Kindle Edition.

My comment is that I read Aristotle’s ‘Nicomachean Ethics" when I was majoring in philosophy in college. I found it interesting enough that I read some of it several times. I have to say that have no idea what Lyn might be talking about here, I don’t remember any recommendations that I found to “evil”, and Lyn does not reference any particular passage of the Ethics to explain or justify what he is asserting. Has anybody else in the LaRouche organization actually read the Nicomachean Ethics who might be able to enlighten me?

My second response to “There are no limits to growth” is the ecological importance that Lyn attaches to trees and saving the forests. The point he makes is that the Malthusian, anti-industrial approach kills forests, whereas a proper application is industrial technology is exactly what is needed to maintain them. People who love trees as I do (I live in a forest) but who have been infected by anti-industrial Malthusian philosophy really need to read this. The other point that he makes is that destruction of forests affects the weather, causing droughts and higher temperatures. This makes me think that if “global warming” is really happening, it may be caused by destruction of forests, and to reverse this trend we need to plant more trees, bring water to desert areas, use industrial methods to replenish and fertilize and expand existing forests.

I just started reading “There Are No limits to Growth”. The first thing that caught my eye was this statement in Helga’s introduction." …we want to present concrete research and development programs which demonstrate how the presently existing limits to growth can be overcome." This means that “there are no limits to growth” has a more complex meaning. In one sense this says that there are presently existing limits to growth, but these are not absolute limits based on finite resources, which is the Malthusian position. These limitations can be overcome by advances in science and technology. Now it could be said that advances in science and technology by themselves may only lead to bigger wars, including nuclear war, and so beside science something else is needed. I would say that ingredient is love.