The Infamous Truth A Look at Julian Simon's Detractors Throughout his career, economist Julian Simon has written on a wide range of issues. His conclusions have made a lot of people very angry. For example, population growth is not a danger, but a benefit. We do not stand at risk of running out of oil or any other natural resource. The environment is becoming less rather than more polluted.
Humanity is now healthier and better fed than ever before.
In fact, we can be optimistic about all the important trends affecting human welfare. These conclusions fly in the face of received wisdom and often in the face of common sense, but each is the product of a detailed argument resting ultimately on close analysis of the evidence. Simon's theories account for observed phenomena and have made accurate predictions of unfolding events, in the manner of good science. One may refer to Simon's book 'The Ultimate Resource 2' for details. The purpose here is a somewhat less scientific appraisal of Simon's enraged detractors.