[monkeynotes]

Probably because the subject attacks the fundamental instinct to procreate. How do you tell a couple that they legally can't have children? Many of my friends define their lives around having a family, it gives people a deep, and rewarding purpose.

[serf]

>Many of my friends define their lives around having a family, it gives people a deep, and rewarding purpose.

Speaking as bluntly as I can here : if you want to have kids to gain a 'deep and rewarding purpose' because you somehow feel lacking in purpose, please don't have children.

It's analogous to a teenager that joins the military out of high school because "they don't know what they want to do.".

Figure things out, then make a decision. Don't make some big brash decision in order to figure things out. The only 'depth' that might added to your life may actually just be unenjoyable complexity and nuance.

[etrautmann]

The deep and rewarding purpose necessarily must be separated from the carrying capacity of the world. There are plenty of families with 12+ kids, but this clearly isn't something that would be possible to sustain for all couples.

This is a fundamental tragedy of the commons. I feel guilty about even wanting to have two kids at some point due to the climate impact. Everywhere I look I see people having large families without caring. This has to be balanced long term for our species (and others) to survive centuries from now.

[sunseb]

You are right and I must say it's ok to have kids in the US or in Europa (because population growth is declining here), but I am talking about Africa or South Asia, as they are having more and more kids there, and all these kids end up living in extreme poverty and having no hope for the future. For example, each year, Nigeria has 6 millions more people to feed (Nigerian women have an average of 5.5 children).

[securingsincity]

Most of the world is having only 2 kids per family. The most consistent way to reduce the number of children per family is to increase the income of that family.

https://www.gapminder.org/answers/will-saving-poor-children-...

https://www.gapminder.org/tools/#$state$marker$axis_x$domain...