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LIBERTY INSTITUTE
cordially invites you to the
December 2002
JULIAN L. SIMON MEMORIAL LECTURE
Feeding People, Generating Income, Protecting the Environment:
The Role of Technology in Agriculture
Dr. C. S. Prakash
Professor in Plant Molecular Genetics and the Director
of Center for
Plant Biotechnology Research at Tuskegee University, Alabama,
USA
December 3, 2002, 6.00 PM
Conference Room-III, India International Centre (Annexe),
40, Max Mueller Marg, New Delhi-110003.
Julian L. Simon: An Inspiration
Professor Julian L. Simon, an economist and demographer, from
the University of Maryland at College Park, was a true friend
of mankind.
In his masterpiece, The Ultimate Resource (1980), he
exposed the limitations of Malthus’ theory and showed that
population growth is an asset, rather than a burden, to humankind.
The expanded second edition of The Ultimate Resource 2, was
published in 1997.
By studying centuries of data on a variety of indicators,
including life expectancy and infant mortality, environmental
quality, and the prices of natural resources and consumption
goods, he found that growing population has brought improvements,
rather than declines, in quality of life. In the 20th century,
for instance, while population
growth and life expectancy tripled, world per capita output
quadrupled.
Thus, Professor Simon argued that “The ultimate resource is
people.” People, he said, don’t come with just a mouth, but
also a mind. People are not just consumers, but also producers.
In fact, the more people consume, the more they have left
to consume. This is because, in a free economy, increasing
consumption prompts producers to continuously innovate and
battle for consumers through cheaper, better products. In
Professor Simon’s words, “The key elements of such a framework
are respect for property, fair and sensible rules of the market
that are enforced equally for all, and the personal liberty
that accompanies economic freedom.”
Professor Simon died in February 1998. Liberty Institute is
particularly indebted to him. He was instrumental in the setting
up of the Institute and served as a member of its board of
advisors. More importantly, he and his wife, Rita, traveled
to India in 1997 to lend their name to one of the Institute’s
early Freedom Workshops in Devlali, Maharashtra. Liberty Institute
has named its research programme after him, in gratitude for
his unstinting support and inspiration over the years.
The inaugural lecture was delivered by eminent economist Deepak
Lal, James S. Coleman Professor of International Development
Studies, University of California, Los Angeles, on
“The New Cultural Imperialism: The greens and economic development”
on December 9, 2000.
Leon Louw of the Free Market Foundation and the Good Law Project,
South Africa, delivered the second memorial lecture on February
6, 2002. He spoke on “Environmentalism
& Sustainable Development: A Developing Country Perspective”
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