Antinatalism is a philosophy which places a very high value on human life and the well-being of individuals, yet it’s one of the most hated mainstream philosophies. Of course many people will disagree with it, it’s perfectly fine to, but antinatalists almost always come from a place of deep compassion and care; mocking or ridiculing them only shows your low emotional maturity. If we lived in a more rational, compassionate world, I truly think that antinatalism would be deeply respected and understood rather than insulted or ridiculed.

Seeing a rise in such kind of behavioural issues in kids these days makes me so sad because they don’t deserve to spend their lives hurting themselves and others. It’s difficult for the parents too.

I've been thinking about this recently. I know I'm an antinatalist and I might be a misanthrope but I'm not sure. Antinatalists believe reproduction is inherently immoral, and misanthropes have a general disdain towards human society (correct me if these definitions are wrong). They seem to be a bit intertwined, but I believe one person can be an antinatalist without being a misanthrope and vice versa. But I want to know how. What's your experiences and beliefs? Why are you a misanthrope, or why not?

Art above is by @ebalx on Vgen, it's a drawing of my baby <3 I don't ever wanna have kids in real life and I don't think anyone else should, so I created a fictional baby who'll never be harmed instead.

There’s so many orphans in need of a loving home but instead people go through painful and expensive treatments to create more suffering in this world, why?? I don’t understand

all i can do is feel somewhat bad and pity the parents who regret bringing their children on this earth not knowing the outcome that creating new life brings (totally optional to do btw) , such a shame that we have to suffer all because of it .

Humanity has existed for so long. Being alive was only bearable in the past 100 or so years (unless you weee extremely wealthy or nobility or smthn). If I think I have it bad now, at least we have anesthesia and work less.

And yet, we kept reproducing. Even during the black plauge, even when food insecure, even during war, even when people had to work sun up to sun down in the fields with no days off forever.

It terrifies me because we never learn.

Life over the past 100 or so years is mostly bearable, at least in developed nations. Even then, a lot of ppl where i live struggle to pay rent or eat. But regardless, we still keep popping em out. We still keep continuing the cycle.

It just feels so hopeless. The cycle of suffering will never end by our own hands.

I am in medical school right now and taking many science classes and I realize that every living thing no matter how small or big, could be a bacterial cell, a virus or a tiger and of course humans are programmed to survive and reproduce. This instinct to reproduce is encoded into every living things DNA. As humans we are able to self reflect and our instinct is there but we are able to think critically wether or not we want to follow those instincts. (At least some of us who are aware enough)

I truly believe most people don’t even realize this and they are victims to their innate instincts and that is why we have so many people being born into this world. We also create the narrative of how raising children is the greatest thing we can do which perpetuates this cycle. Of course parents feel an incredible bond with their babies because their body is releasing oxytocin and other endorphins that we evolved to produce in order to care for and be successful in reproduction and survival of their offspring. If we did not bond with our babies we would have no incentive to care for them and therefore they would not survive and be able to procreate themselves. The feeling of “love” for a baby is just our biological hardware in action in order to survive and continue the next generation of the species. Once again there is absolutely nothing special about this because even bacteria cells are programmed to do the same things (although they don’t produce oxytocin the end goal or reproduction and survival is the same)

What I’m trying to say is that reproduction is purely instinctual and our biology drives it forward along with the societal narratives we have created. People who have kids and are against anti natalism and call them selfish are just victims to their own instincts and biology. They are actually the selfish and unaware ones. Those of us who are able to reflect on whether or not we really want to reproduce have in someways overcome the deepest biological drive in all living things. I truly believe that makes us the opposite of selfish. It takes alot of awareness and intelligence to reach anti natalism because we are so hard wired for reproduction. So next time someone calls you selfish for not wanting children or questions you, just know you are absolutely not.

I always knew it. First, I felt like something was wrong with me. I didn’t wish to live like everybody else around me. I never pictured myself married with kids, or holding kids or raising kids or anything like that.

Then, I started reading and discovered existentialism. I read and read some more. I then discovered AN. I didn’t know this was a thing.

But as soon as I discovered, I relieved like I’d been finally diagnosed with a disease that’s been bothering me for so long. I knew who I was. I knew I’ve found my people. I knew there wasn’t anything wrong with me anymore, I knew I wasn’t alone.

No one around me, not my friends, family or work people are aware of the concept. They’re highly traditional people. So I was feeling incredibly lonely before I discovered this. I still suffer and I still everyday wish I was never born, I’m glad people who read this exist, and it’s just not me. I feel for you, I wish you were never born either but we’re not alone and that should mean something in this cruel place.

My grandmother was born because my great grandparents had sex while on a train, and because of that, my great grandmother hat to marry my great grandfather.

My grandmother then had my mother while sick, my mother is an only child.

My mother had her first pregnancy when 16, had an abortion, became pregnant again a year later and was unable to get an abortion, so I was put into this world. My mother had all together 5 abortions, something I can't quite wrap my head around. I am her only child.

Edit: wanted to point out three generations of unwanted children, not so clear.

I'm childfree. I broke the curse. Most of my family had an unhappy life. I don't get it, why procreate? This human life is an unfree unhappy drag ending in death. Better stay in the void.

If adoption was more normalized and made easier, we could limit overpopulation.

Families could be parents to children without going through the trauma of childbirth, and children could have loving families.

It just seems unnecessary to make new children when the outcome can be unpredictable.

I told my dad that it is his fault that I suffer. He and my mum are the sole reason I am here, the sole reason I must suffer. My parents didn’t have me with any malicious intent, but they did so in ignorance of the possibility that I may reject this life. Well, I’ve been alive long enough and I can say that I do reject this insipid vane and gratuitous life. I don’t want this. And had my parents simply considered what I have myself considered: that no one can actually consent to taking on the risks of life, then maybe they would’ve spared me of the pointless suffering as I must now do for my unborn children. My parents are good. My parents are loving. But I will never forgive them for their ignorance, especially given that I myself understand these facts, it really doesn’t give them any excuses not to have known them either.

Just saw this argument somewhere and I genuinely don't know what to say or how to feel about it other than "not my problem lol". I'm sure many people here have much smarter nuanced answers to this argument

作为一个从小到大的理想主义者，我现在极度厌恶人类，这个世界惨不忍睹

Our ancestors did not live their lives thinking about our comfortability, they were more likely than not just trying to survive. Is it realistic to think that our ancestors lived so we could work until we die? Dead people aren’t aware when their bloodline ends, they wouldn’t care let alone feel a sense of loss. When I think about my ancestors I think about the extensive suffering they went through (as well as backwards ideas they may have held), I simply don’t wish that for anybody.

I think a lot of people mischaracterize antinatalists as ungrateful, I can’t speak for other people but I surround myself with reminders to be grateful for what I have. While I practice gratitude, I can’t help but be reminded of those who were born under different circumstances, it makes me wish they too were never born.

"nobody listened to the Buddha; that is why there is Buddhism"- Krishnamurthy

I am recently coming to the conclusion that Buddha was an anti-natalist.

He was born in 563 BC. This was a time when the place he was born in, the gangetic plains, was going through second urbanization, thanks to the iron age, with a population explosion, and clearing of old forest.

Given all these factors, and the resulting suffering he saw, he realized the issue is the relentlessness of life, the infinite cycle of life and death. Of course he came to the conclusion he was to end and escape it.

Over time all this insight got mistranslated into spiritual garbage and ideas about reincarnation. But Budhha's knew that the only realistic version of reincarnation is reproduction...half of you incarnated as new life. This is the cycle he wanted to break.

Don’t need to take life too seriously, none of us are going to make it out alive. 😂

The "Oblivion and the 1-in-8-Billion Game" Thought Experiment

​Chapter 1. The Room of Oblivion (The Forced Reset)

After you die, your soul arrives in the 'Room of Oblivion.' You are exhausted from your grueling past life and just want to finally rest, but God forcibly resets all your memories and your entire personality.

​Regardless of your consent or free will, a total memory wipe is executed to prepare you for a "new life."

​Chapter 2. The Random Roulette (Zero Choice)

With your mind wiped completely blank, your next life is decided. God spins a massive roulette wheel that randomly assigns the era, country, parents, and the physical/environmental conditions you will be born into.

​The outcome could be peaceful and prosperous, or it could be absolutely brutal and devastating. You have zero say in the environment given to you. You are thrown straight into this predetermined life, having to endure everything from scratch, completely oblivious as to why you are there or why you must suffer. And when that life ends, you return to the Room of Oblivion, and the cycle repeats itself.

​The Question:

Is the will of a God who designed this system actually good?

Is this could be meaningful thought experiment?

point is that you can't choose to live new life or not and your memory reset forcibly.

you didn't agree to be born but your life goes on by the god(or your parent)

Met a childfree indian man and he said "I am a sweet uncle who loves kids and so I am not Antinatalist. I just don't want to pass on my genes and have no desire for kids".

The answer made me feel as if Antinatalists don't care about kids according to him. Note- I am male btw (or non binary amab) and didn't actually want a relationship just friendship. Also the post was not for dating.

The "Oblivion and the 1-in-8-Billion Game" Thought Experiment

​Chapter 1. The Room of Oblivion (The Forced Reset)

After you die, your soul arrives in the 'Room of Oblivion.' You are exhausted from your grueling past life and just want to finally rest, but God forcibly resets all your memories and your entire personality.

​Regardless of your consent or free will, a total memory wipe is executed to prepare you for a "new life."

​Chapter 2. The Random Roulette (Zero Choice)

With your mind wiped completely blank, your next life is decided. God spins a massive roulette wheel that randomly assigns the era, country, parents, and the physical/environmental conditions you will be born into.

​The outcome could be peaceful and prosperous, or it could be absolutely brutal and devastating. You have zero say in the environment given to you. You are thrown straight into this predetermined life, having to endure everything from scratch, completely oblivious as to why you are there or why you must suffer. And when that life ends, you return to the Room of Oblivion, and the cycle repeats itself.

​The Question:

Is the will of a God who designed this system actually good?

Is this could be meaningful thought experiment?

This is worth watching and sharing on Youtube: Why Every Great Philosopher Refused to Have Children | 4 Reasons

Share it with the idiots in your life who think you're the dumb one :)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I_riXaNjKVk