Ethical dimensions of world population trends

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

Let me begin by sharing with you one of the reasons why a theologian has agreed to appear before a group that is primarily concerned with issues of demography and Population. I began my scholarly work with an inquiry into the theological significance of the death camps of World War Ⅱ, I asked questions such as: "What is the meaning of the death camps in the light of the Judeo-Christian tradition?" I found, however, that any attempt to understand the phenomenon of genocide in traditional ethical or theological categories proved to be inadequate. As a result, I was drawn increasingly to sociology, political theory and European history in order properly to understand what took place during World War Ⅱ. Among the conclusions I arrived at was that the death camps of world War Ⅱ were an example of the bureaucratic elimination of a surplus population. It is that conclusion that has brought me to today's topic, namely, the ethical dimensions of population trends. I would point out that when I use the term surplus population, I do not refer to people who have no conceivable usefulness, but to people who, for whatever reasons, be they political, sociological, economic or other, no longer have a viable place in their native community and whom the decision-makers in their community decide to eliminate by one means or another. As you know, there have been a number of such target populations in our century, Moreover, it is my conviction that there may very well be more such target populations in the foreseeable future.