The Resourceful Earth

work by Simon and Kahn

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July 16, 2026

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The Resourceful Earth, by Julian Simon and Herman Kahn, presents a counterargument to the pessimistic environmental outlook prevalent in the 1970s, such as that found in The Limits to Growth. This work emphasizes humanity's capacity to innovate and find substitutes for scarce resources, challenging the notion that Earth's ecosystem is reaching its limits.12

The book engages with the concept of "apocalyptic environmentalism," which suggests dire consequences for civilization due to environmental degradation and resource depletion. Simon and Kahn's perspective highlights human ingenuity and the potential for technological advancement to overcome resource limitations, contrasting with theories like Thomas Malthus's, which predict population growth outstripping food supply.134

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environmentalism
Apocalyptic environmentalism
…Julian Simon and Herman Kahn’s The Resourceful Earth (1984), emphasized humanity’s ability to find or to invent substitutes for resources that were scarce and in danger of being exhausted.
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…Julian Simon and Herman Kahn’s The Resourceful Earth (1984), emphasized humanity’s ability to find or to invent substitutes for resources that were scarce and in danger of being exhausted.
Read More