Is it still ok to have kids in face of climate change? • Hacker News Board

Re: Is it still ok to have kids in face of climate change?

#51

Post by mattnewton » Mon, Feb 25, 2019, 5:02 PM UTC

elamje wrote: post #6

Scott Adams talked a bit about this on Periscope. Essentially, if you believe the world is truly about to be brought to its knees with climate change, is it immoral to have children?

I went to check this out and he spends around 20 seconds to misquote AOC on the issue, adding nothing, then goes on to talk about how he wants more transparency in government climate science, and he asserts without evidence that president Trump is genuinely concerned that he has the issue wrong. I’m not going to derail this conversation except to say he basically says nothing of substance on the matter .

Re: Is it still ok to have kids in face of climate change?

#52

Post by echelon » Mon, Feb 25, 2019, 5:02 PM UTC

carno wrote: post #33

crobertsbmw wrote: post #24

I’ve always believed that if you’re a smart, educated, motivated person (if your reading this than I’m assuming you are one) that probably the best thing you can do for the world is to have kids. Those kids will likely contribute to the world in all sorts of ways that we can’t imagine.

Are you implying kids of "smart, educated, motivated person" will contribute more than kids of people who don't fall into your arbitrary definition?

I think so. There isn't anything controversial being said here.

Children given education, good home lives, and goals are more likely to succeed than those without access to those opportunities. It isn't fair, but that doesn't mean we can't look for other ways to improve outcomes across the board.

Re: Is it still ok to have kids in face of climate change?

#53

Post by flr03 » Mon, Feb 25, 2019, 5:03 PM UTC

CompelTechnic wrote: post #34

Imagine you were somehow able to choose: 1. Either never exist at all, or 2. Exist as a human in the world of 50 years from now To me, the clear choice is #2. If the moral question is whether human life is worth it to continue in the future, it's obviously worth it. If the moral question is whether our own domination of the planet harms too many wildlife animals, and is therefore immoral, that feels like a more reaso…

#1 Ego cogito, ergo sum

Re: Is it still ok to have kids in face of climate change?

#54

Post by Angostura » Mon, Feb 25, 2019, 5:03 PM UTC

lqet wrote: post #30

My ancestors thought it was okay to have kids during times in which many scholars where certain the apocalypse was due in the next 25 years, during periods in which the plague killed more than half of the population, during the 30 years war and in a time when there was a realistic chance of nuclear annihilation in the next 10 years. I am glad they did.

Did any of those groups they have a scientific basis for believing that having kids would speed up the advent of the apocalypse or worsen its effects?

Let's not draw false parallels.

Re: Is it still ok to have kids in face of climate change?

#55

Post by whatshisface » Mon, Feb 25, 2019, 5:03 PM UTC

ergothus wrote: post #36

crobertsbmw wrote: post #24

I’ve always believed that if you’re a smart, educated, motivated person (if your reading this than I’m assuming you are one) that probably the best thing you can do for the world is to have kids. Those kids will likely contribute to the world in all sorts of ways that we can’t imagine.

> the best thing you can do for the world is to have kids ...yet what is the best thing for the kids? That's a harder thing to know - you can't really compare "not existing" with "living in a world that has a ton of issues". You can debate how bad the issues will be, but that really dodges the inability to make that comparison.

Most people would rather exist than not exist, and although it can sometimes seem like it, not everyone in the entire world is severely clinically depressed. Parents make decisions for their children all the time, and existence is one the the safest bets.

Re: Is it still ok to have kids in face of climate change?

#56

Post by Zizizizz » Mon, Feb 25, 2019, 5:03 PM UTC

CompelTechnic wrote: post #34

Imagine you were somehow able to choose: 1. Either never exist at all, or 2. Exist as a human in the world of 50 years from now To me, the clear choice is #2. If the moral question is whether human life is worth it to continue in the future, it's obviously worth it. If the moral question is whether our own domination of the planet harms too many wildlife animals, and is therefore immoral, that feels like a more reaso…

It's not about whether human life is still worth it, it's about whether we should have fewer children to lighten the cost.

There are plenty of people who are vegetarian who feel this way too. It isn't just meat eaters. Having a child is far more impactful than eating meat or driving electric cars.

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/jul/12/want-to-...

Re: Is it still ok to have kids in face of climate change?

#57

Post by cortesoft » Mon, Feb 25, 2019, 5:04 PM UTC

Yes. I don’t think ending the species is a good response to climate change.

Re: Is it still ok to have kids in face of climate change?

#58

Post by tom_ » Mon, Feb 25, 2019, 5:04 PM UTC

carno wrote: post #33

crobertsbmw wrote: post #24

I’ve always believed that if you’re a smart, educated, motivated person (if your reading this than I’m assuming you are one) that probably the best thing you can do for the world is to have kids. Those kids will likely contribute to the world in all sorts of ways that we can’t imagine.

Are you implying kids of "smart, educated, motivated person" will contribute more than kids of people who don't fall into your arbitrary definition?

But other people and their children are not mentioned.

Re: Is it still ok to have kids in face of climate change?

#59

Post by __s » Mon, Feb 25, 2019, 5:04 PM UTC

elamje wrote: post #6

Scott Adams talked a bit about this on Periscope. Essentially, if you believe the world is truly about to be brought to its knees with climate change, is it immoral to have children?

There's two perspectives:

1. The world will become a place of suffering. The assumption here is either that childhood is a terrible experience, or that suicide is immoral. Your children can decide for themselves if they don't think it's worth being alive in the future

2. Overpopulation is the cause of this doomsday. In that case, we're asserting that having children today means less children will be born in the future. This implies we need to reduce birthrates to more efficiently invest the planet. Unfortunately this line of thought can quickly devolve into eugenics. There are better ways to stabilize population. Relevant: Does saving kids’ lives lead to overpopulation? https://www.gatesnotes.com/2018-Annual-Letter?WT.mc_id=02_13...

Re: Is it still ok to have kids in face of climate change?

#60

Post by jxramos » Mon, Feb 25, 2019, 5:04 PM UTC

The thing I never understood that if entropy steadily marches on, and the sun's energy is finite, isn't this all going to end bad anyways? What will it matter to if we all voluntarily go extinct and add another millennia or two or three to the Earth? It will either overheat in a global warming or face eternal freezing when the sun burns out. Why not enjoy the ride while it lasts and allow others to as well.