Oddbean new post about login | logout Wrong. I didn’t say children were hot garbage. I’m referring to your hot take about increasing the population. Don’t get it twisted. Some people want kids. Some people don’t. Simple as that. My point is that it is NOT a life path many people and that’s totally fine.
We’ll never agree on this friend
We don’t have to. But that doesn’t mean I’m going to stand by and let you (or anyone else in your mentions) shame people into having children as if it’s the only way to live a fulfilling life (as you have done in previous posts). Expect me to respond. Make babies Make art Make money Make love Rescue animals Protect the environment Protect the vulnerable Read literature Push science’s boundaries Travel the world Climb mountains Explore the ocean Write songs Write books Write code Study maths Visit libraries Appreciate music, poetry, sunsets, sunrises, friends, or community. Don’t tell anyone that there is only one way to have a fulfilling life.
Nah. Children are the meaning of life. The end.
The fact that you can read my post and come to that conclusion demonstrates a paucity of value in your life.
This is true.. I too once was a naive, childless dork. Then I grew up and became a father myself. New perspective on life for real.
When I was younger, I thought not having kids meant more freedom and fewer responsibilities. But as I’ve grown, I see how raising a family can be one of the most meaningful ways to create a lasting legacy and shape the future. Contributing to something bigger than myself is rewarding in ways I couldn’t have imagined back then. Darwin also called it *fitness*.
That’s all well and good FOR YOU, but there are a variety of ways to contribute to something bigger than yourself, if you have the inclination to do so and, perhaps, some imagination beyond your reproductive biology. You misread Darwin. “Fitness” has absolutely nothing to do with an individual decision to contribute to anything greater than the self.
You’re misunderstanding my point.. I never stated that having children was my only contribution, nor did I equate the decision to raise a family with Darwinian fitness in the narrow sense you’re implying. In my original post, I was simply reflecting on how building a family can be a meaningful way to leave a legacy and contribute to something larger than oneself. I’ve made significant contributions in other ways as well. Often, when I hear people speak of “contributing” to a greater cause, I find it’s just a façade—people showcasing material possessions or performing acts of “giving back” to enhance their own self-image. Fitness, in Darwin’s context, is about the survival and propagation of traits, and I never intended it as a justification for personal choices.