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The part of 4.4% children worldwide die vs. in the European Union 0.47% of all children die forgets to mention that the EU has much, much fewer children (compar

The part of 4.4% children worldwide die vs. in the European Union 0.47% of all children die forgets to mention that the EU has much, much fewer children (comparatively speaking, as in children per women) compared to the places where child mortality rate is still (comparatively) high, i.e. places like Central and East Africa. Which is to say that were we to really want to make Africa reach European levels of (lower) child mortality that would also mean that the same Africa will start have much fewer children, at the same levels Europe is right now, which, adding it all up, means that we will end up having fewer children as a whole (for our entire planet, that is). Which means that this policy of trying to make the world "better" would end up actually making it worst, that is it will make us (the human species) have (much) fewer children in the future.

throw3450 3y ago
Having fewer children globally would make the world a better place. Less people with better quality of life is better than more with much worse quality of life.
huytersd 3y ago
Birth rates in Africa are already on their slow journey to decline. At the very least they’re dropping. Maybe we can expect a similar trajectory to India that reduced its birth rate from 6 to below replacement rate of 1.9 in about 20 years.
johngossman 3y ago
This sort of utilitarian calculus isn’t even believed by utilitarians. Simply having more people doesn’t make the world better (or worse.) This comment reminds me of the Robert Silverberg novel “The World Inside” where the world is dominated by a belief that reproduction is the highest good.
- paganel 3y ago
  > Simply having more people doesn’t make the world better That's literally what the original post says, that we should have more children alive (by less of them dying). I tried explaining how trying to have less children die will make us have fewer (alive) children as a whole. I have also not mentioned anything about utilitarianism, I was following Max Roser's logic on this (I personally find that a Northern guy like Roser writing about what Africa should do about its children is pretty colonialist, but that's not relevant to this post).
leipert 3y ago
Just can recommend this great talk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ezVk1ahRF78 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ezVk1ahRF78 Amount of kids is strongly linked to child mortality and access to health care access.
renewiltord 3y ago
California cut PMR and IMR over the last two decades. By that time, the state had already hit the demographic decline.

throw3450 3y ago

Having fewer children globally would make the world a better place. Less people with better quality of life is better than more with much worse quality of life.

huytersd 3y ago

Birth rates in Africa are already on their slow journey to decline. At the very least they’re dropping. Maybe we can expect a similar trajectory to India that reduced its birth rate from 6 to below replacement rate of 1.9 in about 20 years.

johngossman 3y ago

This sort of utilitarian calculus isn’t even believed by utilitarians. Simply having more people doesn’t make the world better (or worse.) This comment reminds me of the Robert Silverberg novel “The World Inside” where the world is dominated by a belief that reproduction is the highest good.

paganel 3y ago
> Simply having more people doesn’t make the world better That's literally what the original post says, that we should have more children alive (by less of them dying). I tried explaining how trying to have less children die will make us have fewer (alive) children as a whole. I have also not mentioned anything about utilitarianism, I was following Max Roser's logic on this (I personally find that a Northern guy like Roser writing about what Africa should do about its children is pretty colonialist, but that's not relevant to this post).

leipert 3y ago

Just can recommend this great talk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ezVk1ahRF78 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ezVk1ahRF78 Amount of kids is strongly linked to child mortality and access to health care access.

renewiltord 3y ago

California cut PMR and IMR over the last two decades. By that time, the state had already hit the demographic decline.