Ok, here’s one for you.

Human beings have an incredibly strong desire to stay alive for as long as possible, right? It could be argued that this is a basic evolutionary trait that most animals (including humans) haved developed in order to increase their chances of mating and therefore furthering their species.

If we accept for a minute that humans have evolved the will to stay alive then it isn’t too much of a leap to predict that in an overpopulated world the reverse could be true. So in a potential world of the future the greatest threats to humanity may derive from overpopulation – let’s say a drying up of the Earth’s natural resources, a lack of clean water, food, access to medical care and too much competition for jobs. In this future there are simply too many humans for the Earth’s infrastructure, and all save the tiny percentage at the top are at risk of dying from malnutrition, disease etc. In this instance it is in humanity’s interest to reduce population size drastically, and as far as I can see there are only three ways of achieving this:

1. Suicide. A contradiction really, as it would take an evolutionary miracle for an individual to sacrifice their own life in the interests of the species as a whole. This concept is so far removed from every animal’s innate desire for life that it is hard to imagine being put into practice.

2. Homicide. The idea of ending another’s life to prolong humanity and by extent one’s own life is sick and twisted, but it removes the paradox of option 1 by continuing both the species and the individual life. It does, however, require a level of psychotic behaviour that fortunately very few humans possess.

3. Increased contraception. Definitely the most likely option, as it is the least drastic and harmful, and achieves the same effect of population reduction, albeit by generation, rather than instantly.

Of course I am guilty of limiting the options here, there are other alternatives – the most obvious being increasing humanity’s habitat rather than decreasing its size, by exploration and inhabitation of other planets. It is also hard to imagine how evolution would arrive at any of the points above as it is a gradual process rather than an instant change.

Note: I feel I have to say this and it is important: I am in no way suggesting or condoning suicide or homicide. I am strongly opposed to both and am merely speculating about a hypothetical future. If you are feeling low or suicidal talk to friends or family, or to professionals such as the samaritans.