Re: Demography is destiny.

Posted by David FG on March 09, 2005

In Reply to: Re: Demography is destiny. posted by Bob on March 09, 2005

: : : : One more question pls.

: : : : What does this mean? Is it a proverb or someone's coinage?

: : : Demography is destiny is an oft used title for reports on everything from the Social Security crisis in the developed world, to the slow motion retaking of the southwest US by people of Hispanic heritage.
: : : The Intergenerational implications of demographic change are profound. The economic and social implications of an ageing population point to no immediate, urgent crisis, but to serious problems which, if not faced soon, will be harder to deal with later. By its nature demographic change arrives slowly, but its effects are profound.
: : This short phrase is sometimes credited to French philosopher and mathemetician Auguste Compte. 17th century, I think.

: It's a spin on the older phrase "geography is destiny." Worth considering the merits of each, but the truest maps are the ones that show demographic borders: languages, religions, etc.

It seems I have been under a misapprehension, as I assumed it meant that one's social, economic, geographic, etc position (ie one's demographic status) determined one's 'destiny'.

DFG