It could, but once again, looking at an incomplete picture is dangerous. There is a potent joy hidden beneath that sacrifice, and I don't think it's trivial. Nor is such a great sacrifice always necessary, of course. Things can also be a win-win scenario, wherein people contribute towards each other's well-being. — DA671
I don't think that all of these individuals are misanthropic. They could indeed be driven by a strong sense of compassion for others. I would merely say that empathy and understanding can also extend to the positive aspects of life. People on our side might also rationalise without thinking about these issues in a thorough manner, which is something I hope will change for the better, since I do believe that existence can most certainly be justified. I am still grateful to everybody I've interacted for providing me with thought-provoking ideas to ponder over. I obviously have much to learn. — DA671
Misfits? If to care about people suffering, horribly some times, makes one a misfit, I'd gladly be one! Who wants to be a part of a group that turns a blind eye to the real and abject misery that, perforce, must be mentioned in the defintion of the world as we know it. — Agent Smith
Baloney. Just because you're too lazy, or socially inept, or frightened, or ugly to have children, that doesn't make you a person of integrity. — T Clark
and the other anti-natalists are misfits. They were never going to have children with or without the justifications provided by philosophy. Anti-natalism is just the rationalization that people who don't belong use to dignify their misanthropy. — T Clark
The female species loves me. I'm a good-looking guy. Talkative body. Burning brains. The mere thought of putting children in this world is a frightening one. Poor children! No normal future ahead of them. Prone to depression and nuclear destruction. Forced to play the materialistic capitalistic game. I have all it takes to procreate beautiful children (some girls told me they never saw a more good looking bloke, "le mec plus beau du monde"...), provided with the brains to turn all they touch into gold. But I refuse... — Dijkgraf
The argument I made is simple: death is a harm of such gravity that it plausibly outweighs all the goods a life contains. It isn't hard to understand. — Bartricks
So, it seems that 80 years of moderate misery is better than death. And that goes for a life of 150 years of moderate misery, and 500 years and so on. Our reason tells us to stay here, in this realm, for as long as we possibly can, save agony. That is, it tells us that it is in our interests to stay here, in this realm, forever, if possible, so long as one's life is not outright terrible. — Bartricks
Agent Smith, Bartricks, and the other anti-natalists are misfits. They were never going to have children with or without the justifications provided by philosophy. Anti-natalism is just the rationalization that people who don't belong use to dignify their misanthropy. — T Clark
Part of my role involves working in the area of suicide prevention — Tom Storm
Despite the strong taboos of religions and culture, suicidality is common and not often the result of 'agony'. Generally it is situational and people just don't have the desire to continue because they find life overwhelming emotionally. We understand that around 15% of people consider suicide at some point. — Tom Storm
Many people don't want to live. The offical figures for suicide are alway under. — Tom Storm
You should focus on arguments, not arguers. — Bartricks
bringing people into our situation would be a very evil thing to do. — Bartricks
evilly self-absorbed inconsiderate person — Bartricks
It's evil to have children! — Agent Smith
Agreed, but you and Agent Smith started it. — T Clark
The Chinese changed it to 3. They are stupid. One was better. — Dijkgraf
So, once again, turn the old meat walnut on and try and come up with a cogent criticism of the argument in the OP. — Bartricks
But they were aborting the girls so they could have sons. Leaders also figured out that they would run out of people to participate in the economy and China would plunge into a bottomless depression. There's a good chance they're right. Then we'll see some real misery. — T Clark
Now presumably you think that these people - the ones who are not in agony with no prospect of it ending, but are just bored and what a change of scene - do not, in fact, have reason to kill themselves? — Bartricks
Surely your very job presupposes the truth of what I am saying, namely that, in the main, killing oneself is irrational and thus those who are inclined to do so need help and to be diverted from making an irrational and very harmful choice? — Bartricks
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