--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Why do we need so many people on Earth? I…" description: "\"“Why do we need so many people on Earth? I ask you. What are they good for? They live out ludicrous lives of pointless desperation. Ninety-nine percent..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/160/david-marusek-27635_ais_why-do-we-need-so-many-people-on-earth-i_819106.jpg" --- # Why do we need so many people on Earth? I ask you. What… ![“Why do we need so many people on Earth? I ask you. What are they good for? They live out ludicrous lives of pointless desperation. Ninety-nine percent of the human population is so much wasted resources. Stubborn vermin, we humans are. Granted, in the past, the unwashed masses were necessary. We…” quote by David Marusek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/160/david-marusek-27635_ais_why-do-we-need-so-many-people-on-earth-i_819106.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/160/david-marusek-27635_ais_why-do-we-need-so-many-people-on-earth-i_819106.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/160/david-marusek-27635_ais_why-do-we-need-so-many-people-on-earth-i_819106.jpg) > ““Why do we need so many people on Earth? I ask you. What are they good for? They live out ludicrous lives of pointless desperation. Ninety-nine percent of the human population is so much wasted resources. Stubborn vermin, we humans are. Granted, in the past, the unwashed masses were necessary. We needed them to till our fields and fight our wars. We needed them to labor in our factories making consumer crap that we flipped back at them at a handsome profit. Alas, those days are gone. We live in a boutique economy now. Energy is abundant and cheap. Mentars and robotic labor make and manage everything. So who needs people? People are so much dead white. They eat up our profits. They produce nothing but pollution and social unrest. They drive us crazy with their pissing and moaning. I think we can all agree that Corporation Earth is in need of a serious downsizing. ... The boutique economy has no need of the masses, so let's get rid of them. But how, you ask? Not with wars, surely, or disease, famine, or mass murder. Despots have tried all these methods through the millennia, and they're never a permanent solution. No, all we need to do is buy up the ground from under their feet -- and evict them. We're buying up the planet, Bishop, fair and square. We're turning it into the most exclusive gated community in history. Now, the question is, in two hundred years, will you be a member of the landowners club, or will you be living in some tin can in outer space drinking recycled piss?”” [David Marusek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-marusek/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote sat a dystopian future where technological abundance renders most humans unnecessary, advocating extreme population reduction through economic exclusion rather than violence. **In simple terms:** Future tech makes many people seem unnecessary, suggesting buying land to exclude them. Key Takeaway Consider ethical limits of tech-driven scarcity solutions. Themes technology ethics population economics future dystopia Mood cautious critical thought‑provoking Type philosophical speculative warning When to use this quote - urban planning - policy making - philosophical debates - corporate governance Key Concepts resource allocation social stratification automation environmental impact Questions to Reflect On - What ethical frameworks guide decisions about who gets to live where? - How might such exclusion impact societal stability? A Different Perspective Assumes wealth can solve scarcity without addressing moral consequences. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Ais](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ais-5318/) [Clones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/clones/) [Corporations](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/corporations/) [Earth Need](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/earth-need-359243/) [Economics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/economics/) [Gentrification](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gentrification/) [Human population](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human-population/) [Need People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/need-people/) [Needs People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/needs-people/) [Outer space](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/outer-space/) [People Earth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people-earth/) [Population Wasted](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/population-wasted-359245/) [War](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war/) ## Related quotes > [“The journey of a thousands suns begins today. Some may question whether the journey is worth the sacrifice and danger. To them I say…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-marusek/the-journey-of-a-thousands-suns-begins-today-some-may-question/) [David Marusek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-marusek/) > [“Evolution is largely a temporal phenomenon, Merrill. The environment changes, and populations in that environment change in turn, or they languish. Individual organisms don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-marusek/evolution-is-largely-a-temporal-phenomenon-merrill-the-environment/) [David Marusek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-marusek/) > [“Don't you have anything better to fucking do other than babysit and eventually get killed by some psycho?" "No." Boyd said without hesitation. "I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/santino-hassell/don-t-you-have-anything-better-to-fucking-do-other-than-babysit-and/) [Santino Hassell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/santino-hassell/) > [Our politics and science have never mastered the fact that people need more than to understand their obligation to one another and to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-berry/our-politics-and-science-have-never-mastered-the-fact-that-people/) [Wendell Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-berry/) > [We must go through a natural revolution if we are to survive on earth. We need to change people's perceptions. If there's no environment,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-turner/we-must-go-through-a-natural-revolution-if-we-are-to-survive-on-earth/) [Ted Turner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-turner/) > [Before it's too late, we need to make courageous choices that will recreate a strong alliance between man and Earth. We need a decisive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-benedict-xvi/before-it-s-too-late-we-need-to-make-courageous-choices-that-will/) [Pope Benedict XVI](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-benedict-xvi/) > [If you are a human being in modern society on planet Earth, you need money to do pretty much everything, especially to grow into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jen-sincero/if-you-are-a-human-being-in-modern-society-on-planet-earth-you-need/) [Jen Sincero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jen-sincero/) > [“All of us--bright atheists and committed religionists--need to wake now and hear the earth call . . . . We need to give and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scotty-mclennan/all-of-us-bright-atheists-and-committed-religionists-need-to-wake-now/) [Scotty McLennan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scotty-mclennan/) > [In a few generations more, there will probably be no room at all allowed for animals on the earth: no need of them, no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/in-a-few-generations-more-there-will-probably-be-no-room-at-all-2/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Figures tell us there are already more people on earth than we need to move even the heaviest piano.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/woody-allen/figures-tell-us-there-are-already-more-people-on-earth-than-we-need/) [Woody Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/woody-allen/) > [It's easy for people in an air-conditioned room to continue with the policies of destruction of Mother Earth. We need instead to put ourselves…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evo-morales/it-s-easy-for-people-in-an-air-conditioned-room-to-continue-with-the/) [Evo Morales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evo-morales/) > [Up there on the screen, we can all fly. But down here on earth, we need to be each others wings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eddie-redmayne/up-there-on-the-screen-we-can-all-fly-but-down-here-on-earth-we-need/) [Eddie Redmayne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eddie-redmayne/) > [Nothing is costed properly and it's destroying the earth. We need to re-educate people that what is good for the planet is good for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vivienne-westwood/nothing-is-costed-properly-and-it-s-destroying-the-earth-we-need-to/) [Vivienne Westwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vivienne-westwood/) > [What I need to live has been given to me by the earth. Why I need to live has been given to me by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/what-i-need-to-live-has-been-given-to-me-by-the-earth-why-i-need-to/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [In order for New York to not only get back to where we were, but to finally fulfill our potential as the greatest city…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-wright-jr/in-order-for-new-york-to-not-only-get-back-to-where-we-were-but-to/) [Isaac Wright Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-wright-jr/) ## More by David Marusek > [“Who among us can claim normalcy, Bishop?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-marusek/who-among-us-can-claim-normalcy-bishop/) [David Marusek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-marusek/) > [“Imagine, Bishop, that you have a beloved cat, but that your cat is not with you. If you close your eyes and further imagine…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-marusek/imagine-bishop-that-you-have-a-beloved-cat-but-that-your-cat-is-not/) [David Marusek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-marusek/) > [“The journey of a thousands suns begins today. Some may question whether the journey is worth the sacrifice and danger. To them I say…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-marusek/the-journey-of-a-thousands-suns-begins-today-some-may-question/) [David Marusek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-marusek/) > [ “What a mistake that had been, to create a construct \[AI\] that could suffer. He knew that now. Life, pain, death, they were no… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-marusek/what-a-mistake-that-had-been-to-create-a-construct-ai-that-could/) [David Marusek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-marusek/) > [“Imagine - a thousand Eleanors ruling under a thousand suns.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-marusek/imagine-a-thousand-eleanors-ruling-under-a-thousand-suns/) [David Marusek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-marusek/) > [“Evolution is largely a temporal phenomenon, Merrill. The environment changes, and populations in that environment change in turn, or they languish. Individual organisms don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-marusek/evolution-is-largely-a-temporal-phenomenon-merrill-the-environment/) [David Marusek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-marusek/) > [“Society can serve its citizens only to the extent that it knows them.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-marusek/society-can-serve-its-citizens-only-to-the-extent-that-it-knows-them/) [David Marusek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-marusek/) > [“Capitalism was a marvel, as long as you were a capitalist.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-marusek/capitalism-was-a-marvel-as-long-as-you-were-a-capitalist/) [David Marusek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-marusek/) > [“And among the sleeping soldiers and colonists in the crypts lay one apart, a woman who had forgotten the meaning of life.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-marusek/and-among-the-sleeping-soldiers-and-colonists-in-the-crypts-lay-one/) [David Marusek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-marusek/) > [“Intelligence is not limited to neural networks, Merrill. Indeed, half of human intelligence resides in our bodies outside our skulls…The genius of the irrational…This…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-marusek/intelligence-is-not-limited-to-neural-networks-merrill-indeed-half-of/) [David Marusek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-marusek/) > [“The person who works for recognition devalues the work he does, that awards are first and foremost political instruments, that altruism's true name is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-marusek/the-person-who-works-for-recognition-devalues-the-work-he-does-that/) [David Marusek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-marusek/) > [“…I tell you that loneliness itself is the secret. It’s a secret you cannot tell anyone. Why? Because to confess your loneliness is to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-marusek/i-tell-you-that-loneliness-itself-is-the-secret-it-s-a-secret-you/) [David Marusek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-marusek/) > [“There's not much to say about loneliness, for it's not a broad subject. Any child, alone in her room, can journey across its entire…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-marusek/there-s-not-much-to-say-about-loneliness-for-it-s-not-a-broad-subject/) [David Marusek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-marusek/) > [“In a thousand years, Fred, no one will even know or care we existed.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-marusek/in-a-thousand-years-fred-no-one-will-even-know-or-care-we-existed/) [David Marusek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-marusek/) > [ “When General Genius built the first mentar \[Artificial Intelligence\] mind in the last half of the twenty-first century, it based its design on the… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-marusek/when-general-genius-built-the-first-mentar-artificial-intelligence/) [David Marusek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-marusek/) [Explore all 20 David Marusek quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-marusek/) ## More Ais quotes > [“The journey of a thousands suns begins today. Some may question whether the journey is worth the sacrifice and danger. To them I say…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-marusek/the-journey-of-a-thousands-suns-begins-today-some-may-question/) [David Marusek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-marusek/) > [“Don't you have anything better to fucking do other than babysit and eventually get killed by some psycho?" "No." Boyd said without hesitation. "I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/santino-hassell/don-t-you-have-anything-better-to-fucking-do-other-than-babysit-and/) [Santino Hassell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/santino-hassell/) > [“Evolution is largely a temporal phenomenon, Merrill. The environment changes, and populations in that environment change in turn, or they languish. Individual organisms don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-marusek/evolution-is-largely-a-temporal-phenomenon-merrill-the-environment/) [David Marusek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-marusek/) [Browse all 4 Ais quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ais-5318/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Why do we need so many people on Earth? I ask you. What are they good for? They live out ludicrous lives of pointless desperation. Ninety-nine percent of the human population is so much wasted resources. Stubborn vermin, we humans are. Granted, in the past, the unwashed masses were necessary. We needed them to till our fields and fight our wars. We needed them to labor in our factories making consumer crap that we flipped back at them at a handsome profit. Alas, those days are gone. We live in a boutique economy now. Energy is abundant and cheap. Mentars and robotic labor make and manage everything. So who needs people? People are so much dead white. They eat up our profits. They produce nothing but pollution and social unrest. They drive us crazy with their pissing and moaning. I think we can all agree that Corporation Earth is in need of a serious downsizing. ... The boutique economy has no need of the masses, so let's get rid of them. But how, you ask? Not with wars, surely, or disease, famine, or mass murder. Despots have tried all these methods through the millennia, and they're never a permanent solution. No, all we need to do is buy up the ground from under their feet -- and evict them. We're buying up the planet, Bishop, fair and square. We're turning it into the most exclusive gated community in history. Now, the question is, in two hundred years, will you be a member of the landowners club, or will you be living in some tin can in outer space drinking recycled piss?”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "David Marusek" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-marusek/why-do-we-need-so-many-people-on-earth-i-ask-you-what-are-they-good/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Ais" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-marusek/why-do-we-need-so-many-people-on-earth-i-ask-you-what-are-they-good/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/160/david-marusek-27635_ais_why-do-we-need-so-many-people-on-earth-i_819106.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/160/david-marusek-27635_ais_why-do-we-need-so-many-people-on-earth-i_819106.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/160/david-marusek-27635_ais_why-do-we-need-so-many-people-on-earth-i_819106.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Why do we need so many people on Earth? I ask you. What are they good for? They live out ludicrous lives of…” — David Marusek", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "David Marusek", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-marusek/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Why do we need so many...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-marusek/why-do-we-need-so-many-people-on-earth-i-ask-you-what-are-they-good/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-marusek/why-do-we-need-so-many-people-on-earth-i-ask-you-what-are-they-good/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```