The Role of Knowledge in the Development of Society. Limitations and Excesses of Available Resources as an Incentive to Search for New Knowledge

Based on the developed mathematical model describing the dynamics of the growth of resources available for human consumption, the article discusses the impact of resource shortages on possible development options. It is shown that the scarcity of resources critical for life stimulates the search for new knowledge to solve the problem of human survival. The author examines the cycle of the development of resource availability, from scarcity to excess, and shows the role of resource redundancy in expanding the directions for scientific and technological development of society. The factors influencing the specifics of resource consumption in different historical periods and possible reasons for the transition from an increase in population to an increase in per capita consumption in the mid-20th century are considered. The author proposes variants of description of the mechanisms leading to a decrease in birth rate and population size in economically developed countries, which has been observed since the 1940s. The article considers the consequences of the conducted research that must be taken into account when organizing the management of the scientific sector: referring to the role of investments while using new knowledge, approaches to analyzing promising areas for scientific research based on the analysis of current and future deficits and surpluses of basic production resources.