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THE IMMORALITY OF PROCREATION

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 September 2012

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Extract

Many people hold that procreation is morally obligatory; one ought to bring children into existence because they benefit by being brought into existence. Often this line of thinking stems from the notion that procreation is intrinsically valuable; procreation should be pursued for its own sake. Other philosophers hold procreation is immoral because of the great harm it causes as a result of climate change, overpopulation, mental illness, and so forth. If current population growth continues, there will be an ever-shrinking supply of fresh water and food, leading to the suffering of future generations.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © The Royal Institute of Philosophy 2012

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References

Note

1 Harrison, Gerald and Tanner, Julia. 2011. ‘Better Not to Have Children’. Think 10 (27): 113121CrossRefGoogle Scholar.