Dr Pianka Suggests : Kill them all with Ebola

Dr. Eric R. Pianka and an unidentified woman from the University of Texas at Arlington following a recent speech before the Texas Academy of Science in which Pianka endorsed airborne Ebola as an efficient means for eliminating 90 percent of the world’s population. Pianka received an enthusiastic and prolonged standing ovation. Later he received more applause from a banquet hall filled with more than 400 people when the president of the Texas Academy of Science presented him with a plaque naming him 2006 Distinguished Texas Scientist. Photograph copyright 2006 by Forrest M. Mims III



was shocked when I read about this (I guess lots of people were) and I would like to share it. During the 109th meeting of the Texas Academy of Science at Lamar University in Beaumont on 3-5 March 2006, Dr. Eric R. Pianka, who was named by the Academy the 2006 Distinguished Texas Scientist, gave a talk on the earth’s overpopulation problem.

One of Pianka’s earliest points was a condemnation of anthropocentrism, or the idea that humankind occupies a privileged position in the Universe. He told a story about how a neighbor asked him what good the lizards are that he studies. He answered, “What good are you?”
Pianka hammered his point home by exclaiming, “We’re no better than bacteria!”

He then started laying out his concerns on how human beings are ruining our planet. This thoughts are not only part of his talk but can also be found in a web page that he keeps at the University of Texas web site [Go there].

Quoting from this web page:
“During the past quarter of a century, world population has increased from about 3.4 billion people to over 6.4 billion, an increase of over 85%. In some parts of the world, human populations are growing even faster.

If humans do not control their own population (and we seem unwilling and unable to do so), then other forces will certainly act to control our population. The four horseman of the apocalypse (conquest, war, famine, and death) are all candidates. Most likely, lethal virulent microbes like HIV and Ebola Zaire will set limits on the growth of human populations. HIV, by allowing infected hosts to survive years while they spread the virus and infect new hosts, has already become a pandemic, but it will be years before it decimates the human population. Although Ebola kills 9 out of 10 people, outbreaks have so far been unable to become epidemics because they are currently spread only by direct physical contact with infected blood. However, a closely related virus that kills monkeys, Ebola Reston, is airborne, and it is only a matter of time until Ebola Zaire evolves the capacity to be airborne.”

Ok Dr. Pianka, what you are saying here is that nature will find a way to enforce balance, and I must say that I totally agree with you. Nature always finds a way to go forth. Nevertheless, I think that this is not exactly what you said in your talk. I have the sense that what you suggested is us humans taking the initiative to reduce our population to 10% using an air born version of Ebola Zaire infecting humans just like Ebola Reston is infecting monkeys. So, the way I see it Dr. Pianka is that you probably feel a sense of insecurity in case nature fails to strike the balance. Probably nature needs someone like you, should I say the Fifth Rider of Apocalypse or Captain Planet, to save the day…

I have another question for you my dear doctor. Where exactly do you see yourself? Will you be in the 90% of the unlucky souls who will be sacrificed for the “greater good” or will you be in the 10% of the privileged ones who are absolutely essential for humanity in order to survive?

I apologize for being so sarcastic but I honestly think you have an ego the size of Titanic.

I would like to finish by making a final comment. At the end of Dr. Pianka’s speech a few hundred members of the Texas Academy of Science rose to their feet and gave him a standing ovation. Ok, I can understand it if one man one day decides that he is nature’s last resort. He goes out and states his plans for saving the world to people called scientists and everybody in the room stands in awe. What’s wrong with you people? The mission of Science is to serve life, not to eliminate it. All human beings, every living soul should be nourished because every single one of us has feelings, emotions, guilts, memories and dreams; every single one of us is special and unique. Please do not treat us like numbers, I do not think we deserve it!