Fuller's consideration of scarcity of resources needs amending in at least one respect. The question of the scarcity of resources, has been, historically, a major political issue as well as a practical concern. Notions of scarcity have been invoked to justify policies of protectionism, expansionism and so on. The name of Malthus is symbolic of this.
Fuller refers to Malthus (Critical Path, p.xxii) as representing what he sees as the unfounded view that Earth's resources are insufficient to support current or likely population. He lumps together Malthus, Darwin and Marx, but a glance at what Marx himself wrote about Malthus (Capital vol.1, p.766; Grundrisse, p.605) immediately demonstrates how misleading this is, as well as providing some insight into the political significance of arguments about scarcity.
© Paul Taylor 2001