Antinatalism is the ethical view that negatively values coming into existence and procreation, and judges procreation as morally wrong. Antinatalists argue that humans should abstain from procreation because it is morally wrong (some also recognize the procreation of other sentient beings as morally wrong).
Philanthropic Argument
The only certain way to protect your child is to not create it.
Antinatalism is not about hating children. Many antinatalists may have wanted to become parents but realized that there is no way to justify the risks involved. Even a child of the most well-intentioned and affluent parents can end up leading a horrible life or become a murderer.
You are not helping your child by creating it: No one has an interest in being born. No one is sad if they were not. Procreation is done entirely for the selfish reasons of the parents in their quest to give their life meaning, spread their DNA or have someone to take care of them in old age.
Because of that antinatalism is in favor of adoption, the only ethical way to become a parent. By adopting you can help improve the situation of an already existing being instead of creating a new being with the capability to suffer.
Misanthropic Argument
According to this argument, humans are a deeply flawed and destructive species that is responsible for the suffering and deaths of billions of other humans and non-human animals. If that level of destruction were caused by another species we would rapidly recommend that new members of that species not be brought into existence.[1]
Vegantinatalism
Veganism and antinatalism are really one and the same—as they are both rooted in serious and practicable harm reduction for present and future life; looking out for others, wanting individuals to experience at least a minimally decent life, mitigating ecological destruction, respecting consent, and not bringing life into existence to suffer and die for the self-interest of oneself and others.
Antinatalists don’t want humans to be created just to experience and perpetuate needless suffering, destruction, and death. Vegans don’t want other animals to be forcibly bred into existence just to be inexcusably used against their will, dominated, objectified, and destroyed—all of which degrades our environment, exacerbates world hunger and climate destruction, creates pandemics, squanders precious resources, amplifies human-to-human violence, generally causes more human degradation and death than anything else, and much more.[2]
Variants
Schools of Thought
Voluntary Human Extinction is a movement that advocates the extinction of humanity through willingly restraining reproduction (
Antinatalism) in an effort to make humanity extinct. Despite its goals, it rejects suicide, forced sterilization, or mass murder. They believe that humans have led to environmental degradation and therefore the entire human species must go extinct.
Relationships
Friends
- Humanism - Why bring more humans to the world if we can't even take care of the ones we already have.
Radical Environmentalism - There are too many humans and we're destroying the environment.
Pol Potism - Bashing babies heads to save them from suffering in the future. Yes absolutely do.
Frenemies
Abortionism - Fetuses cannot consent to being aborted, but being born is bad as well. I'm divided on this issue...
Enemies
Natalism - Does human breeding make sense? I think no.
Muskism - Multi-billionaire that only pushes for natalism cause hasn't ever experienced financial or emotional struggle because of his lucky upbringing. Most of the population isn't on the same situation.
Further Information
Literature
Videos
- Being Alive is Good, Actually by
BritMonkey - Antinatalism | Is Life Worth Beginning? with Cosmic Skeptic and Humane Hancock
- Voluntary Extinction by Solar Sands
Wikipedia
People
Online Communities
- r/Antinatalism
- r/Antinatalism2
- r/TrueAntinatalists
- r/VeganAntinatalists
- r/FeministAntinatalism
- r/FemaleAntinatalism
References
- ↑ "We Are Creatures That Should Not Exist": The Theory of Anti-Natalism, The Critique.
- ↑ Vegantinatalism: Veganism+Antinatalism, Stop Having Kids.