Under the Spell of Malthus.

• Author: Arnold, Vic
• Position: Letters - Letter to the Editor

Ronald Bailey's review of Jared Diamond's Collapse ("Under the Spell of Malthus," August/September) was excellent and raised important public policy issues. But Bailey's happy scenario for the 21st century is no more certain than Diamond's gloom and doom.

Many of the improvements Bailey discusses are one-time-only efficiency upgrades or are otherwise self-limiting. In science and technology, astounding progress marches alongside maddeningly simple but seemingly unsolvable problems, in...