Talkin' bout my generation

Should This Be The Last Generation?


"Have you ever thought about whether to have a child? If so, what factors entered into your decision? Was it whether having children would be good for you, your partner and others close to the possible child, such as children you may already have, or perhaps your parents? For most people contemplating reproduction, those are the dominant questions. Some may also think about the desirability of adding to the strain that the nearly seven billion people already here are putting on our planet’s environment. But very few ask whether coming into existence is a good thing for the child itself. Most of those who consider that question probably do so because they have some reason to fear that the child’s life would be especially difficult — for example, if they have a family history of a devastating illness, physical or mental, that cannot yet be detected prenatally."

The above is a preface for an opinion piece on eliminating human life on Earth. Not by war or plague or catastrophe but by attrition. Simply stop reproducing and, eventually, there will be no human life.

The author goes on to argue his case by pointing out how we (in developed countries, one assumes) make similar decisions regarding individual children. If genetic or prenatal testing shows the child would be born with some horrible condition that would doom him/her eventually and cause great suffering until then, we generally choose to not have the child, to spare it suffering.

He then takes an interesting turn...

"All this suggests that we think it is wrong to bring into the world a child whose prospects for a happy, healthy life are poor, but we don’t usually think the fact that a child is likely to have a happy, healthy life is a reason for bringing the child into existence."

He goes on to present his case that continued reproduction of the species (meaning "us") may be harmful to the planet and to future generations. This has been the argument of those who believe in population control; those who worry about over-population (Google"Paul Ehrlich", for example). And it isn't a bad one... on a philosophical basis. Eventually, population growth will outstrip resources and we will go through an extended period of suffering until some balance is achieved (if it can be achieved).

The author of the article is an Australian philosopher named Peter Singer. You should read about him. He is a professor of Bioethics at Princeton University. Quite a controversial fellow, I'd say.

"We Have Met The Enemy and He Is Us" [Pogo]

I mentioned something like this a few months ago in "I Just Love The Internet", but I did not go into it at the time. I also provided this link:

The Voluntary Human Extinction Movement

I welcome your thoughts...