Marriage Costs in China Are Out of Control • Hacker News Board

Re: Marriage Costs in China Are Out of Control

#131

Post by ionised » Mon, Oct 01, 2018, 10:09 AM UTC

davidiach wrote: post #113

ForHackernews wrote: post #107

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> So is the solution for women to stop having children and for humanity to die off? What a ridiculous false dichotomy. Earth has a huge (and increasing) number of humans on it. We are in far greater danger from unsustainable depletion of natural resources than we are "dying off" from gradually declining birthrates.

If we don't maintain the replacement rate of 2.1 children per woman, the worlds population will eventually shrink exponentially. If that doesn't scare you, I don't know what will.

> If we don't maintain the replacement rate of 2.1 children per woman, the worlds population will eventually shrink exponentially. If that doesn't scare you, I don't know what will.

Why should that be scary?

Re: Marriage Costs in China Are Out of Control

#132

Post by ForHackernews » Mon, Oct 01, 2018, 10:51 AM UTC

fastball wrote: post #126

ForHackernews wrote: post #117

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why is that scary? Human civilization might be much more sustainable with a billion people, rather than currently-predicted peak of 10 billion. I'm much more worried about climate change leading to war and famine than I am about women voluntarily choosing to have fewer children. As far as I can see, population decline is only a problem because our current economic system assumes endless growth.

If women consistently have < 2 children the population won't stabilize at 1 billion.

Ok, get back to me when world population In the meantime, our species has much more urgently pressing issues.

Re: Marriage Costs in China Are Out of Control

#133

Post by kup0 » Mon, Oct 01, 2018, 2:20 PM UTC

pmorici wrote: post #90

ForHackernews wrote: post #63

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Maybe people don't want to bring children into a world that will be worse off in many ways than the one they grew up in? That hypothesis would correspond with the observation that it's the most educated, most long-term-focused people in (currently) stable societies that are delaying or avoiding children.

"Maybe people don't want to bring children into a world that will be worse off in many ways than the one they grew up in?" Objective measurements show that the world better off than it was and still improving. [0] [0] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yCm9Ng0bbEQ

Yes, but do the people referenced in your quote know or care about objective measurements or do they just feel that things are worse? The sentiment exists regardless of the truth.

Re: Marriage Costs in China Are Out of Control

#134

Post by fastball » Mon, Oct 01, 2018, 2:52 PM UTC

ForHackernews wrote: post #132

fastball wrote: post #126

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If women consistently have < 2 children the population won't stabilize at 1 billion.

Ok, get back to me when world population In the meantime, our species has much more urgently pressing issues.

Our species really doesn't have more pressing issues.

Fucking the environment is very unlikely to destroy humanity, and that is really the only concern of any species.

As conscientious pieces of a greater whole, however, there are definitely more pressing issues.