Antinatalism
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Antinatalism is the philosophical position that asserts a negative value judgement towards birth. It has been advanced by figures such as Arthur Schopenhauer, Brother Theodore and David Benatar.[1] Schopenhauer, in his essay On the Suffering of the World articulates the position as follows:
If the act of procreation were neither the outcome of a desire nor accompanied by feelings of pleasure, but a matter to be decided on the basis of purely rational considerations, is it likely the human race would still exist? Would each of us not rather have felt so much pity for the coming generation as to prefer to spare it the burden of existence, or at least not wish to take it upon himself to impose that burden upon it in cold blood?[2]
Similarly, Benatar argues from the hedonistic premise that the infliction of harm is generally morally wrong and therefore to be avoided, and the intuition that the birth of a new person always entails nontrivial harm to that person, that there exists a moral imperative not to procreate.[1]
[edit] See also
- abstinence
- childfree
- Nietzschean affirmation, a contrasting stance in favor of life, advocated by Friedrich Nietzsche who was a one-time follower of Schopenhauer.
- Natalism, the counterpoint to antinatalism
- Population control in order to decrease population growth.
- Voluntary human extinction movement
[edit] References
- ^ a b Benatar, David (2006). Better Never to Have Been. Oxford University Press, USA. DOI:10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199296422.001.0001. ISBN 9780199296422.
- ^ On the Sufferings of the World, Arthur Schopenhauer
- Morgan, Philip and Berkowitz King, Rosalind, "Why Have Children in the 21st Century? Biological Predisposition, Social Coercion, Rational Choice", European Journal of Population 17: 3–20, 2001
- Steyn, Mark. "Children? Not if you love the planet", Orange County Register, Friday, December 14, 2007. Retrieved on 2008-04-29.
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