re: Brain Storm about actual impact of depopulation

Ask yourself, “Why are birthrates declining?” It is because in the old days, of an agrarian economy, more children (especially male children) meant more prosperity for their parents. As that went away birthrates declined. There was a time lag, because the higher birthrates were a function of culture developed due to the economics. First the economics went away, then the culture eroded over several generations.

There is still a powerful reason to have children, and that is the experience of loving, and being loved by, a child. But for most people, that itch can be scratched by having one or two children. Today, the economic incentive is to have fewer children.

I think you are right that the economic impact of fewer children could be higher living standards for the rest of us, but that is only due to the possibility that technology will replace humans with robots and AI. It was certainly true up to now that we needed an expanding work force to grow economically. Improvements in productivity were not happening fast enough to drive up prosperity the way we wanted it to go up. Now, with AI, we might be there. I believe we are close.