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Criticism to “The Limits to Growth”

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The Limits to Growth Revisited

Part of the book series: SpringerBriefs in Energy ((ENERGYANALYS))

Abstract

Thomas Huxley (who liked to be defined “Darwin’s bulldog”) said that “It is the customary fate of new truths to begin as heresies and to end as superstitions.” There are many cases in which excessive conservatism in science has prevented new ideas (“heresies”) from being adopted and has kept old ideas (“superstitions”) alive for too long. Conservatism, however, is not a negative feature of science. It is useful, actually essential, in order to maintain intact the core methods of science and eliminate misplaced enthusiasm not based on sufficient evidence. The problem is: what is a genuine innovation and what a fad that will soon disappear?

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Notes

  1. 1.

    1  Physicists may not agree on this point. Perhaps, Sterman’s statement should be modified as “all non linear models are wrong.”

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Dipartimento di Chimica, Università di Firenze, Polo Scientifico di Sesto Fiorentino, 50019, Firenze, Italy

    Ugo Bardi

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  1. Ugo Bardi
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Correspondence to Ugo Bardi .

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© 2011 Ugo Bardi

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Bardi, U. (2011). Criticism to “The Limits to Growth”. In: The Limits to Growth Revisited. SpringerBriefs in Energy(). Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-9416-5_7

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