I don't think you're correct about the son starting in a worse place than the father. My understanding is that
(a) Epigenetic changes are environmental and are switched on and off by environmental factors.
(b) Epigenetic changes are not inherited at all. The son starts in exactly the same place with the original DNA inherited down through the generations.
(c) If the son is then subjected to the same environment as the father he would presumably suffer the same epigenetic changes.
If you are saying that you believe that epigenetic changes are inherited and therefore somehow accumulate over generations in a way which would cause a deterioration in fertility in an unchanging environment, could you point me at a source which describes the mechanism by which this happens.
On the economic issues:
(1) Yes - the coming economic collapse will probably blow everything out of the water in terms of total effect. I'm not sure I would have suggested that losing access to pharmaceuticals would be a major contributor though :-).
(2) That wasn't actually what I was referring to in terms of the economic attack, although - as you point out - I should have been. I was actually referring only to the distorted incentive system which results from the welfare / regulatory state. Specifically the mechanisms of taxation, inflation and state provided retirement which all act to incentivize people not to have children.
I don't think you're correct about the son starting in a worse place than the father. My understanding is that
(a) Epigenetic changes are environmental and are switched on and off by environmental factors.
(b) Epigenetic changes are not inherited at all. The son starts in exactly the same place with the original DNA inherited down through the generations.
(c) If the son is then subjected to the same environment as the father he would presumably suffer the same epigenetic changes.
If you are saying that you believe that epigenetic changes are inherited and therefore somehow accumulate over generations in a way which would cause a deterioration in fertility in an unchanging environment, could you point me at a source which describes the mechanism by which this happens.
On the economic issues:
(1) Yes - the coming economic collapse will probably blow everything out of the water in terms of total effect. I'm not sure I would have suggested that losing access to pharmaceuticals would be a major contributor though :-).
(2) That wasn't actually what I was referring to in terms of the economic attack, although - as you point out - I should have been. I was actually referring only to the distorted incentive system which results from the welfare / regulatory state. Specifically the mechanisms of taxation, inflation and state provided retirement which all act to incentivize people not to have children.