In THE DEMOGRA-FATE HYPOTHESIS by Nguyen Ba Thanh, the adage “All good things must come to an end” takes on literal significance for inhabitants of planet Earth. The book explores the idea that everything has a life-cycle – even the human race. While that thought is pause-inducing, the profundity of the hypothesis is most strongly reflected in the author’s assertion that humanity is slowly committing suicide thanks to a penchant for love as a prerequisite for marriage, sex for recreation rather than procreation, an affinity for contraceptive use that equates to declining birthrates, and thoughtless environmental habits. In other words, the effort to improve the quality of human existence is having an unintended effect: mankind is methodically doing itself in.
Beneath the doomsday message of the book is an undercurrent of conviction. To think humankind is not subject to basic laws of existence and extinction is the height of arrogance. Consider that the aging of the universe has ramped up in recent times thanks to human “idiocy.” To recognize the causal effects of such is to recognize the inevitable, final consequence: eradication. As the author states: “All cosmic civilizations have to face this hard reality: the universe, the entire material world that hosts us, is irreversibly heading for demise.” It’s a heavy topic that surprisingly comes across as a light read thanks to a sprinkling of cartoons that use wit to get points across and by the author’s accessible writing style and the author does an effective job of spotlighting the temporary nature of the human race without really pushing for solutions. Being of a scientific mindset is not required to glean insights from this book. Not that there aren’t statistics and calculations presented to help support the hypothesis. For example, readers are presented with a graph that maps the decline in fertility rates in nations ranking highest on the development table – a hint that modernization may well be fatal in nature. While it is not the author’s intention to trigger a “be fruitful and multiply” movement, such supporting evidence is bound to prick the conscience and launch some meaty discussions among readers.
Most interesting of all is that this could be the ultimate intention of the evolutionary process. According to the author, “Evolution might be revealing its conceptual endpoint, where the brainiest species can and does party itself out of existence, consciously and happily.” The party has already started. Crank up the music. Cheers. Those indulging in the most fun, however, are not likely to stop long enough to delve into a book about self-annihilation. In this regard, human smugness may be just as catastrophic as being in the path of a massive asteroid or an especially prolific rogue virus.
THE DEMOGRA-FATE HYPOTHESIS by Nguyen Ba Thanh employs statistical trends, common sense and the laws of physics to get its point across: modern living has put mankind on a path of self-destruction – and there’s no turning back. The end result is a tight, fascinating read that serves more as a moment of enlightenment than a clarion call for sweeping change.
~Libby Wiersema for IndieReader