Superabundance: The Story of Population Growth, Innovation and Human Flourishing on an Infinitely Bountiful Planet

This semester, the Menard Family Lecture Series will include presentations by experts in globalization, prosperity, and artificial intelligence. Our focus on the future kicks off with author and globalization expert Marian Tupy, who will discuss  SuperAbundance, the book he co-authored with book Gale Pooley, and the research behind it. This program will offer a convincing counter to the pessimistic outlook on our future that prevails in modern discussion.

Generations of people have been taught that population growth makes resources scarcer. In 2021, for example, one widely publicized report argued, “The world's rapidly growing population is consuming the planet's natural resources at an alarming rate . . . the world currently needs 1.6 Earths to satisfy the demand for natural resources . . . [a figure that] could rise to 2 planets by 2030.” But is that true?

After analyzing the prices of hundreds of commodities, goods, and services spanning two centuries, Tupy and Pooley found that resources became more abundant as the population grew. That was especially true when they looked at "time prices," which represent the length of time that people must work to buy something. 

To their surprise, the authors also found that resource abundance increased faster than the population―a relationship that they call “superabundance.” On average, every additional human being created more value than he or she consumed. This relationship between population growth and abundance is deeply counterintuitive, yet it is true.

Join us for this thought-provoking program to learn more about superabundance and its impact on our future. It is presented by the Center for Free Enterprise in the College of Business and is free and open to all. Free pizza will be served to attendees. 

 *All University of Louisville College of Business programs are open to all eligible faculty, staff, and students regardless of race, color, national origin, sex, disability, or age.