> How the hell can you hold such a paradoxical statement? I think in this case, the paradox unravels if you realize that I precisely chose the words "having a

> How the hell can you hold such a paradoxical statement? I think in this case, the paradox unravels if you realize that I precisely chose the words "having a child" instead of "raising a child." The decision to mate is usually selfish, and the decision to spawn offspring is also selfish (except where it's careless). People don't have sex because it's their duty. People don't try to conceive a child because they feel responsible to anyone but themselves. They decide they want the experience of raising a child, and so they do it for themselves. The experience itself is, obviously, a mixture of selflessness and selfishness. Also, the word "selfish" has slightly more negative connotations than I would prefer, but I can't think of any suitable words that wouldn't require a whole paragraph to qualify.