Antinatalism in the 21st Century

IR Web Site

Bibliographic Information

Other Title
  • 21 世紀の反出生主義
  • 21セイキ ノ ハン シュッショウ シュギ

Search this article

Description

This paper aims to shed a new light on antinatalism that is recently spreading among the general public. David Benatar, the leading advocate of this view, focuses on the harm of coming into existence. In his eyes each newborn is a victim forced to suffer without informed consent. They are, however, also perpetrators, considering the ongoing climate crisis and mass extinction, which prompts some environmentalists to oppose procreation. In quite a number of cases of abortion, which is an antinatal practice, the embryo or fetus is also regarded as causing harm to the physical or mental health of the pregnant woman and/or her family. In the traditional Yanomami culture, when a woman decides after birth to return the baby to the spirit world, she ends its life and feeds the body to termites. This kind of symbiotic relationship between humans and non-humans demonstrates the limitations of anthropocentric antinatalism.

Journal

Keywords

Details 詳細情報について

Report a problem

Back to top