Questioning the goal, the possibility, and the idea of economic growth.

Economic growth, if it includes the non-rich, offers the opportunity of a truce in the class war: if we divide the gains fairly, we can all work together. But fair division is not assured; indeed, it is unlikely today. What that suggests is that we had better focus on how the world's income is divided.

While continued economic growth may be impossible, that doesn't mean further growth is impossible for the next few decades. It is true that using more resources has the potential to backfire — but that result is not inevitably big enough to be a real problem.

Reducing the birth rate so as to start reducing the human population is a safe and ethical way to enable each of us to have more of some things that make life more comfortable and enjoyable.