It's because it helps people come to terms with their own mortality.
The genes live on.

I'm guessing that satisfaction is something deep in the human psyche. People usually love their children & families. It's probably a deeper, more instinctive trait than just about anything else.

Grand Duke Imam Mahdi wrote on Jun 28^th, 2014 at 7:12pm:

You should blow em up mate!

____ wrote on Jun 28^th, 2014 at 7:01pm:

We don't!

greggerypeccary wrote on Jun 28^th, 2014 at 8:14pm:

Because he only does bombs!

Fine philosophical question, and utterly pointless, sorry.
Reproduction is an instinct in all forms of life, nothing you can do about that.
For as long as not all of us are wealthy highly educated free individuals instinct will rule, and even then we will continue to reproduce, that's just the nature of life, and the meaning of life.
If you wish to exercise your right not to breed, fine, go ahead, nobody's forcing you, but no-one will ever gain or hold power anywhere with a policy of restricting or removing the right to reproduce, even a highly regimented and regulated dictatorship like China failed miserably trying to even reduce it, let alone stop it altogether.

So, like I said, an interesting but ultimately futile philosophical fantasy. 

greggerypeccary wrote on Jun 30^th, 2014 at 2:56pm:


Continuation of the species is the simplest way to put it.

greggerypeccary wrote on Jun 30^th, 2014 at 3:22pm:


Sometimes there doesn't have to be a reason.

It's sort of like chocolate, having a child can give people a deep sense of pleasure.

I had a friend who told us how she viewed it. For years she had listened to other women tell their birthing tales, their tales of toddlers, tales of parenthood, and then she eventually had a child.
"I have my own story now," she said.

Deep satisfaction.

If you don't want children, don't have any, it isn't obligatory.
But for a lot of people, having at least one child is something they yearn for.

And why shouldn't people exist? We have as much right to be here as any butterfly or elephant or any other form of life.

I think the world would be better off if we could lower population numbers, lower the birth rate, but trying to stop people from reproducing at all would just not work.

It is what it is, you just have to accept some things.