Definition: pragmatic and philosophical antinatalism

Pragmatic antinatalism is my term for a reluctance to have childen based on practical concerns rather than any objection to children themselves. A pragmatic antinatalist may want children and see their value, but real-world issues keep getting in the way. Typical reasons include:

• "I can't afford children right now,"
• "The society I'm living in, at present, isn't appropriate for children."

Pragmatic antinatalism is negotiable. It isn't saying children lack value, only that current circumstances aren't right.

The other form of antinatalism is philosophical antinatalism, or the position that having children is morally wrong. The reasons cited may include:

• Having children imposes unnecessary pain and risk on those children.
• Having children takes potential resources away from neglected children who are already alive.
• Having children puts unnecessary stress on the environment.
• "My religion forbids me from having children."

Philosophical anitnatalism tends to be non-negotiable. People with these beliefs may change on their own, but you can't change them. Their position is determined by logic or faith and depends little on actual conditions.

Pragmatic antinatalism is first defined in my video, Antinatalism: An Evolutionary Dead End (17 May 2019). In the video, I refer to "hard-core" antinatalism, which I am defining now as philosophical antinatalism.