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> And people wonder why the birth rate is continuing to decline We’re at 7.8 billion humans on this planet and rising. I don’t think we have to worry about the

by Aaargh20318 6y ago

> And people wonder why the birth rate is continuing to decline We’re at 7.8 billion humans on this planet and rising. I don’t think we have to worry about the birth rate declining. If anything, we should do everything in our power to lower it as much as we can.

MauranKilom 6y ago
While that's fundamentally true, it's not like humanity would fare particularly well 50 years in the future if everyone stopped having children for 20 years right now.
- zo1 6y ago
  Most of Africa would do a whole lot better if their birth rates declined rapidly. They still have huge child mortality rates despite the advances in the west and all the aid that comes from that. These things take time to make their way to all corners of the remote world.
evnc 6y ago
If we lower the birth rate below replacement (roughly 2 children per couple), humanity will die out. This is not a desirable outcome. If the answer is, "well, the birth rate will never lower that far, because some people are going to keep having children" -- who will those people be? (Do you presume to be able to choose who gets to have children and who does not?) Aren't those some people then doing a great service, keeping humanity alive? Shouldn't we value their efforts, and give them support? Also, drastically lowering birth rates has negative effects on demographics and economies (e.g. a population pyramid heavily weighted toward the elderly, without enough young people to do the work of taking care of them, or the productive work of maintaining and improving society generally).
landryraccoon 6y ago
I don't see how well educated, career oriented people having fewer children will meaningfully reduce the birth rate. The data I've seen shows that poorer countries and families tend to have a higher birth rate than wealthier countries and families. To abstain from having children as a well educated, well off individual because you want the global population to drop is like not drinking a glass of water when you're thirsty because there's a drought, while farmers consume thousands of acre feet of water. It's not rational.
Rompect 6y ago
Then why are we continually sending aid to Africa which just powers their insane child boom?

MauranKilom 6y ago

While that's fundamentally true, it's not like humanity would fare particularly well 50 years in the future if everyone stopped having children for 20 years right now.

zo1 6y ago
Most of Africa would do a whole lot better if their birth rates declined rapidly. They still have huge child mortality rates despite the advances in the west and all the aid that comes from that. These things take time to make their way to all corners of the remote world.

evnc 6y ago

If we lower the birth rate below replacement (roughly 2 children per couple), humanity will die out. This is not a desirable outcome. If the answer is, "well, the birth rate will never lower that far, because some people are going to keep having children" -- who will those people be? (Do you presume to be able to choose who gets to have children and who does not?) Aren't those some people then doing a great service, keeping humanity alive? Shouldn't we value their efforts, and give them support? Also, drastically lowering birth rates has negative effects on demographics and economies (e.g. a population pyramid heavily weighted toward the elderly, without enough young people to do the work of taking care of them, or the productive work of maintaining and improving society generally).

landryraccoon 6y ago

I don't see how well educated, career oriented people having fewer children will meaningfully reduce the birth rate. The data I've seen shows that poorer countries and families tend to have a higher birth rate than wealthier countries and families. To abstain from having children as a well educated, well off individual because you want the global population to drop is like not drinking a glass of water when you're thirsty because there's a drought, while farmers consume thousands of acre feet of water. It's not rational.

Rompect 6y ago

Then why are we continually sending aid to Africa which just powers their insane child boom?