gizmo_2655
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Australian Politics
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South West NSW
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Winston Smith wrote on Jul 5 th, 2014 at 9:27am: gizmo_2655 wrote on Jul 4 th, 2014 at 1:59pm: Winston Smith wrote on Jul 4 th, 2014 at 10:29am: gizmo_2655 wrote on Jul 4 th, 2014 at 10:07am: Winston Smith wrote on Jul 4 th, 2014 at 9:44am: gizmo_2655 wrote on Jul 4 th, 2014 at 9:41am: Winston Smith wrote on Jul 4 th, 2014 at 9:31am: gizmo_2655 wrote on Jul 4 th, 2014 at 9:17am: Winston Smith wrote on Jul 3 rd, 2014 at 9:00am: sherri wrote on Jul 2 nd, 2014 at 7:58am: Winston Smith wrote on Jul 1 st, 2014 at 10:29am: I'll simplify it for you.
What were you thinking when you decided to have kids?
It's not a philosophical question. You weren't asking this question of me, but I would venture to guess there is an element of curiosity & excitement in having a child, as well as the social reasons.  What will I have, will it look anything like me, what will it accomplish in life and how will I help it? Okay what about everything we know about overpopulation, rising costs of living, limited resources, peak oil, global warming, desertification and all the other environmental pressures of an out of control human avalanche?I'm sorry but those emotive appeals don't cut it anymore, that mentality is selfish, morally bankrupt and criminal in the extreme. None of those have any actual bearing on reproduction, or the drive to procreate. Oil, resources, global warming and desertification only affect our comfort levels, and are not valid reasons for suicide of the entire species. So you considered these factors and came to the above conclusion before making the conscious choice to reproduce? I suppose so. I ignored them and listened to the biological imperative instead. Can you explain what that is please? Perhaps not in a way you'll understand or accept, but I'll do my best. The basic drive behind ALL life is to reproduce itself and (in most species) to 'spread' it's own dna far and wide. Most animals will only reproduce under favourable conditions. But we aren't talking about other animals, we are talking about humans. We are aware of our sex drive (libido) and can control it. gizmo_2655 wrote on Jul 4 th, 2014 at 9:41am: Insects, plants, fish, mammals all do this, aggressively in some cases. In humans, the methods are changed by society, but the intent ( to make yourself the ideal mate) remains the same. The human brain changes everything, we are self conscious and capable of formulating plans and enacting them. We have sex because it feels good to fulfill the urges of libido. We choose when to reproduce, or whether or not to attempt to prevent conception. gizmo_2655 wrote on Jul 4 th, 2014 at 9:17am: In the distant the best hunter/provider was the ideal, now it seems to be based on financial security. But it's still the same purpose. Do you mean how people go about choosing a mate, or why people reproduce?You seem to be confusing the nature of sexual selection with the reasons for carrying it out. But I think we have managed to extract a key piece of information. You reproduced because you could, so you did without any consideration for the impact on the environment or the new life you were bringing into it. That isn't biological imperative, it's carelessness. No, we do have control over WHEN we reproduce (humans don't have a mating season), but even conscious control can be over ridden by subconscious drives. And how choose a mate and why they reproduce are basically the same thing. No it's not carelessness, it was the realisation that man is a very adaptable creature (perhaps the most adaptable?), even more so now due to our technological abilities. The 'impact on environment' is not, or should not be, a very large issue. We haven't even scratched the surface of our potential to adapt to different living conditions, such as undersea, orbital and other planets/bodies within our solar system. All the information available throughout your life, pointed to the fact that the systems we depend upon for our lifestyles are being eroded to the point of likely collapse in your lifetime, mostly due to overpopulation. Well actually, no not really. 'All the information available' etc doesn't point to any such thing. And even if some of the systems did collapse, i.e oil running out, what of it? 'lifestyle' ISN'T a major requirement for continued human existence, it's a variable condition and not a reason to bring in any sort of ZPG idea.
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