TIE Development, Inc., is dedicated to the idea that "There Is Enough" (TIE). An eighteenth century economist, Thomas Robert Malthus, predicted that humanity would starve itself out of existence over the next two hundred years because he believed the population would soon outstrip our ability to feed ourselves. He was wrong then, in part because of the technological changes in food production - and we believe Malthusian economists are still wrong today.
In today's world, there are many who believe, with Malthus, that there is not enough to share with everyone - whether they mean food, drinking water, or money and opportunity. There are U.S. Representatives who do not want to fund Food Stamps to feed poor Americans. There are people who want to de-fund public schools because, since they serve populations with generations of low academic achievement levels, they are not meeting rigorous new standards – rather than find ways to help students in those schools excel. In our view, this kind of action is taken not because the people who take it are heartless, but out of fear. They are afraid that there is NOT enough – of whatever resource – to go around.
Malthus would have agreed with them; yet Malthus was wrong. We believe present-day Malthusians are also wrong. We believe There Is Enough for everyone in the world to live well – especially if we work together to improve the ways in which we do things and the ways in which we share.
One way this can happen is by using the best characteristics of the internet and contemporary technology, together with some of the best characteristics of humankind. The internet gives us the opportunity to interact with one another from great distances, never before achieved on an ongoing basis – for example, through social networks. We can use software to help track people’s input into the planning and design effort, and we can use people's inventive and creative minds to take ideas and “grow” them for the benefit of all.
If you’re interesting in proving that There Is Enough – please join us in growing the next steps for humankind.