Maybe now is a good time to die out, G. said last week. M. had already said it, and S. wrote to me about it. I don’t think extinction itself is a bad idea, but it generally involves a lot of suffering, and how we behave as a species is contingent. We can do it differently. It just may not be as expected.
There are several associations advocating extinction, such as the Movement for the Voluntary Extinction of Humanity and Stop Having Kids. These organizations mainly focus on not having children. This position is also known as ‘anti-natalism’. They have good arguments for that. Humanity is destroying the planet because there are too many of us, and the number of people continues to grow. Adding new people to that makes it worse for everyone – for the people who are already alive, for the other animals, for the rest of the living world. Moreover, life is not a happy gift for everyone. Many people suffer severely, and some of them would rather not have been born. It is problematic to give birth to someone if there is a chance that they will have to live such a life, since the unborn cannot give consent. These two arguments together lead to a third: we live in a time when ecological crises will worsen the living environment, which will increase suffering globally. Depression, as I wrote earlier, is also a social and political phenomenon.
That last argument, that the quality of human life will deteriorate for everyone after a period of prosperity in the coming decades, is often missing in discussions about having children. People were recently interviewed about this subject in this newspaper as well. The interviewees had thought about the environmental impact that their children would cause, but it was not about whether you can inflict this world on children. However, like eating animals, having children is not a private matter. There are also other living beings with interests at play. If you want to take care of children, you can adopt them or become a foster person, or get a job in that direction. There are plenty of creatures that could use love and a good home. Just like with pets, it is important to take good care of those who already are, and not to create new creatures.
In this story, by the way, contraception is not an issue that only concerns women. Commonly used contraceptives such as the pill and the IUD can have many side effects, not only physical but also psychological – an issue that unfortunately not everyone is aware of. Sterilization of men is a good alternative.
This does not have to lead to an end to the family. ‘Make chin, not babiesDonna Haraway wrote. Make your friends and pets family, take care of children and the elderly with whom you are bonded in friendship, contribute to the world through your work, share your garden with bees and frogs, or isolate yourself, that is also perfectly legitimate and understandable .
Extinction probably sounds more fun than it is, and I don’t think it will happen for the time being. The question for the future is mainly one for other means of survival, which have already been there for a long time. And, as always, to think for yourself what is important, regardless of what society expects of you.
Eva Meijer is a writer and philosopher. She writes a column every other week.
A version of this article also appeared in the newspaper of August 16, 2022