ABSTRACT
Theories about whole societies do not easily yield to scientific proof. Because of the intrinsic difficulties of handling sociocultural data and because experimental laboratory conditions cannot usually be imposed on real societies, there are all too few reports that rise above the descriptive level of explanation. Negative evidence is explained away by citing "special circumstances" which are said to make that particular case not a fair test. In attempting to buttress the hypothesis that human societies have the capacity to respond homeostatically to population pressure, a variety of case studies and historical material is presented. The material could be organized in several ways. The chapter deals with nonwestern cases for which there is comparative data. It discusses demographic history and contemporary behavior patterns in the United States, data which again support the hypothesis that cultures have the capability to adjust population growth rates to the carrying capacity of the environment.
