[aianus]

If our ancestors had thought like that the human race would not exist as we know it. It's very much the exception to the rule to value 'societal progress' over one's own family.

[ZenoArrow]

Not really. We'd still exist, even with the same attitude. Sometimes increasing the size of the population is beneficial to society, but it's a different situation in today's world.

I understand why the idea of bringing life into the world is appealing, but let's not pretend that's the main reason for living.