| A Reasonable Assertion (longish) |
by NOLAWitch |
2006-11-19 12:55:59 |
Let’s spend a thread examining the assertion that production of offspring by every fertile member of a species is not necessarily to the benefit of the entire species. The impetus for this essay arose from a common argument for reproduction in a thread yesterday (link). Leaving all religious considerations aside and using only logic, see if the following makes sense to you.
First, let’s get deal with biological imperatives. Every species produces genetic mutations that are counter-adaptive to the individual member’s survival. These mutations could include congenital defects as well as predilections for catastrophic or chronic debilitating illness. Although extremists insist that such instances should not be considered when contemplating having children (as if the majority of pregnancies are actually contemplated), reasonable people do consider their family medical history when they plan their own families, especially if that history has been replete with horrible illness. Although it’s an agonizing decision to make, a growing number of people choose to terminate a pregnancy if amniocentesis shows a fetus to be grossly abnormal. They are not to be vilified. They have made their decisions based on their analysis of their resources.
This concept of resources is what this assertion hinges upon. Some individual’s resources are better spent for the greater good of the species by not reproducing. The more advanced the species, the more true that statement is. So now we confine the scope of this argument to homo sapiens.
We live in the most technologically advanced and socially progressive era in history. We are no longer prisoners of biology. A hallmark of being homo sapiens is adaptability. When it becomes maladaptive for both the individual and the species for that individual to reproduce, how is that counter to our nature?
An individual’s resources are limited. We have a finite life span. We can achieve a level of expertise commensurate with our intellectual capacity. Our physical attributes determine our athletic and manual labor abilities. We have affinities that we either sublimate or indulge, sometimes turning out badly. The stories of people who wanted to be take up one profession but were forced into another profession are common. Though most of us aren’t in our dream jobs, we are where we can be given our ambition and the current business climate. We also know people who are languishing in jobs and industries they are ill-suited for. Sometimes the job a person is most ill-suited for is parenthood. Every day the news reports of some atrocity perpetrated on children by their erstwhile parents. Some people cannot deal with the responsibilities because they don’t have the resources for those responsibilities.
What if a person’s resources would have been better spent on medical research or a political cause. Consider the Women’s Suffrage movement. (Used for illustrative purposes only due to my familiarity with the subject.) If Elizabeth Cady Stanton hadn’t given herself to marriage and motherhood, how much faster would women have won the right to vote? Literally years of her life were spent in confinement prior to birthing and caring for over half a dozen children. She was one of the best minds and driving forces behind the Suffrage movement. If Susan B. Anthony hadn't eschewed marriage and soldiered on, how much more slowly would Amendment XIX have been passed?
How many people have squandered their resources leading mediocre lives, raising mediocre children who in turn produce another mediocre generation? Many people get caught up in mundane matters, giving their minds over to an interminable litany of school schedules and soccer practices. They either can’t or won’t contemplate the larger issues in society.
Some people were meant to produce the next generation and some were meant to ensure a better world for posterity to inhabit. If we were all in touch with our best role in life, the world would be a better place.
Convince me I’m wrong and you can pick the sperm donor.
|
|
[ Reply ] |
|
Hmm | by reddy | 2002-10-18 08:18:55 |
|
Had Ms Stanton skipped the reproductive stage | by Naruki | 2002-10-18 08:19:08 |
|
i agree, and have debated much in my head.. | by Ubergeek2 | 2002-10-18 08:24:27 |
|
yep | by reddy | 2002-10-18 08:36:33 |
|
Who could argue with that? | by ktownson | 2002-10-18 08:35:02 |
|
Thank God you aren't in charge. | by gblues | 2002-10-18 08:58:37 |
|
I didn't think that's what she was saying | by tigermouse | 2002-10-18 09:07:03 |
|
Hey! How can a chimera (two species' | by adiplomat | 2002-10-18 09:21:10 |
|
*sniff sniff* | by tigermouse | 2002-10-18 09:26:59 |
|
Hmph. You just don't wanna have to | by adiplomat | 2002-10-18 09:30:36 |
|
*Basks in glory* | by tigermouse | 2002-10-18 09:51:09 |
|
God, God, God. Crikey! | by NOLAWitch | 2002-10-18 09:21:52 |
|
As seen frequently on NANAE: | by GeminiDomino2 | 2002-10-18 10:30:06 |
|
Heh, I thought that might irk you. | by gblues | 2002-10-18 10:41:11 |
|
Well, you were misleading. | by Naruki | 2002-10-18 11:15:43 |
|
Let's look at your score, God-boy. | by NOLAWitch | 2002-10-18 11:16:14 |
|
Not to mention | by flamebait | 2002-10-18 13:25:54 |
|
I love you most of all, Scarecrow! | by Naruki | 2002-10-18 13:48:13 |
|
Lies, damn lies, statistics. | by gblues | 2002-10-18 16:46:40 |
|
Swings and roundabouts! | by breezeblock | 2006-11-19 12:55:59 |
|
I was with up until you said | by Naruki | 2002-10-18 10:07:33 |
|
Be very careful starting down that road, | by adiplomat | 2002-10-18 09:15:41 |
|
You're just trying to avoid Godwin's Law. | by Naruki | 2002-10-18 10:04:22 |
|
Heh =) (n/t) | by LionsPhil | 2002-10-18 10:09:55 |
|
Heck Yes! Haven't I gotten in enough | by adiplomat | 2002-10-18 19:32:55 |
|
counter diatribe | by cthulu_saves | 2002-10-18 09:32:29 |
|
Life doesn't simply go on. | by Naruki | 2002-10-18 10:03:29 |
|
comfortable | by cthulu_saves | 2002-10-18 10:34:14 |
|
You can't make an omelette, eh? | by Naruki | 2002-10-18 10:56:54 |
|
Fundamental problem with your reasoning. | by Arcanum | 2002-10-18 10:14:22 |
|
Makes sense to me. | by LionsPhil | 2002-10-18 10:18:01 |
|
I've got the electric turkey carver! | by GeminiDomino2 | 2002-10-18 10:33:02 |
|
I've thought about this for years | by ihatewindoze | 2002-10-18 10:29:41 |
|
Thoughts | by nimdokk | 2002-10-18 11:26:33 |
|
addendum | by nimdokk | 2002-10-18 11:40:24 |
|
The problem with this argument | by flamebait | 2002-10-18 11:59:48 |
|
Admit it. | by Naruki | 2002-10-18 12:19:11 |
|
Are you available? | by flamebait | 2002-10-18 13:16:07 |
|
Now, now. Leave Naruki out of this. | by NOLAWitch | 2002-10-18 13:29:57 |
|
Like I said | by nimdokk | 2002-10-18 14:52:08 |
|
I think you're right... but that's not going to | by kahuana | 2002-10-18 17:02:35 |
