The Economics of the Very Long Run

Will mankind survive the next billion years? It is of course impossible to give any definite answer to this question. However, it may be possible to discern which of our present policies will increase, or decrease, the likelihood of that eventuality. This can be done not with any precision, to be sure, but educated guesses are sometimes more helpful than completely ignoring an important, nay, crucial, question. The present paper is devoted to a discussion of which public policies arc more likely to promote the survival of the human race, and which to lessen it.