During an interview with Fox News host Tucker Carlson, billionaire Elon Musk once again raised concerns about a global population crisis. He argued that declining birth rates, which he linked to abortion and birth control, pose a serious threat to modern civilization and could cause it to “crumble.”
The opinion contradicts other billionaires like Bill Gates and Warren Buffett who believe that overpopulation is a growing concern. Musk argues that the human instinct to procreate has been “subverted” due to the widespread availability of birth control and elective abortions, and that humanity has not handled this new reality well.
When asked by Carlson why humans are procreating less, Musk responded, “Well, it’s just, in the past we could rely upon, you know, simple limbic system rewards in order to procreate. But once you have birth control and abortions and whatnot, now you can still satisfy limbic instinct, but not procreate.”
“I’m sort of worried that hey, civilization, if we don’t make enough people to at least sustain our numbers, perhaps increase a little bit, then civilization’s going to crumble. The old question of like, will civilization end with a bang or a whimper? Well, it’s currently trying to end with a whimper in adult diapers, which is depressing as hell,” he added.
Musk’s views on the topic are controversial and have been met with varying opinions. Some argue that declining birth rates in certain regions can have negative economic and social consequences, such as a shrinking workforce and aging populations. Others, however, believe that controlling population growth is necessary to address issues such as resource depletion, environmental degradation, and overcrowding in urban areas.
