Warning: Undefined array key "HTTP_ACCEPT_LANGUAGE" in /var/www/minitokyo/www/includes/common.inc.php on line 360 Do people really need to reproduce so much? - Minitokyo

Do people really need to reproduce so much?

page 1 of 3 1 2 3 Next » 56 total items

Teryon

Teryon

He who invents Ultratech

I know of the biological imperative, the fact that all life-forms currently on earth evolved with nothing else in mind than to breed. But humans have a consciousness, a high-level self-aware(usually, mind you..) mind that is able to plan ahead.

So why do we keep breeding? With our technology we can breed far more successfully than any other species(in terms of absolute survival rate, rather than sheer numbers; insects trounce us, but they`re smaller and their mortality rates are appalling), and use up far more resources.

This is a limited planet; there is only so much room, so much oil and biofuel and uranium, deuterium, food..pick your resource. There are over 6 billion people on earth, and yet we just keep happilly breeding away.

Why? Why isnt there more of a concerted effort to keep down the human population? Wars, natural disasters, they just arent enough. Well, a war *could* be, but I think im the only one sadistic enough to have figured out how to engineer a war that`d kill a HUGE chunk of the global population.

Thoughts? Concerns? Flames?

"Brute force is not my way. My technology can devise infinitely more
successful, subtle, and unpleasant methods..."
Signature Image

Terra-chan

Terra-chan

Crazy Lazy Workaholic

Humans reproduce because they are social creatures and it is a base function. The ultimate fullfullment in many people's lives is to find someone to love and have a family and they realize they only have so long on this world and want to leave something that will last, and children is certainly one of the easiest ways in doing so.

So even though humans can plan ahead and consciousness and self-awareness, they use it for their own immediate lives more than on a grander scale. They go after their own personal goals and often leave the world to fend for itself.

Certainly there could be methods taken to keep the human population down, but a lot of people would be against it for humane reasons. Wars also harm the environment as much as it kills off people. Letting people die and killing them is not humane. Also restricting a person's freedom to have sex and reproduce is certainly unfair.

Plus there are preventative measures taken to PROTECT as many people as possible from natural disasters and then help those that have been harmed by them...

You'd have to completely rewrite human nature to change these things.

Signature Image
~ Deviant Artist ~ Comic Spriter ~ | ~ Are you UNDERAPPRECIATED
~ Come see the wonders of the Host Club ~

Kyoo69

me -> Kyo`

I Agree with Terra-chan. But why are you asking such a question anyway? You're here because of reproduction ;P People are born, people die. It's all balanced somewhere, more or less. And there's some room on this planet left, but currently almost not used. I'm sure it will be in the future.

up up and away

@ Kyoo
The room that is not used is room that cannot be used. People don't gather in cities for fun. To make life possible you need certain infrastructural basics that are not given everywhere.
--
The areas that are overpopulated are often areas of poverty. People try to save their own life by having many children that care for them when they are old. There must be a change in social security of poor countries to reduce the number of children born.
Reducing the number of people by force is morally not possible. Because who decides over the right of life of others? We had similar cases in history and you know that it was cruel.

Teryon

Teryon

He who invents Ultratech

Who said anything about *morally* not possible? I seldom let morality get in the way of mere planning. Actually *doing*..eh, it influences me. But I do have plans that would enable quite a bit of the population to drop. He who *makes* the choice has the right over the life of others. Besides, earlier cases in history were done by mere humans. Im better than that.

And Kyoo...

It's all balanced somewhere, more or less. And there's some room on this planet left, but currently almost not used. I'm sure it will be in the future.

Sure, im here because of reproduction, but my parents didnt go and make 12 or 13 kids. There`s absolutely *no* reason for such a breeding pattern. And its NOT balanced. Why else would every other species exist nicely with their native habitat, and yet humanity over-breeds, spreads, consumes resource after resource without thought to where more might be found. C`mon, there is no balance with humanity currently.

It must be made.

"Brute force is not my way. My technology can devise infinitely more
successful, subtle, and unpleasant methods..."
Signature Image

Of course humanity is unbalanced. The very technology that you praise has removed us from a natural balance. Our advancements in sanition and sterilization technology have enhanced our longevity. We reshape environments to suit us. We wipe whole species off of the face of the planet.
You cannot ask for balance from technology, because it is that very technology that destroyed the balance in the first place.
Not everyone has access to this technology, and their mortality rate is terrifyingly high. Thus, they have large numbers of children to try and ensure the survival of at least one.
And the band played on...

AJS13

AJS13

Wondering Samurai

Its lack of a Contraception, if people remember the rubber or pill you wouldnt get all these unplanned births. Also if people have to be accpet abortions.

This signature violates the signature guidelines, thus it has been removed.

kuroimisa

Retired Moderator

kuroimisa

Wizard of Darkness -under a rock

Well. I get your point on resources eventually vanishing- but by then when everything IS running out there would be technologies to create food out of rocks or something- I dunno, but they'll figure it out. And besides, there's a lot of time for you and future generations to live here- even if you saved all those resources, Earth will be engulfed by the Sun in .. how many years again? But many years when it becomes a red giant, and will consume many other neighbouring planets around Earth.

So why not happily breed? Perhaps then to escape the red gaint aka our super star the Sun, they would find another place resembling Earth that will provide happily for Earthlings.

Uhm, I know this doesn't really answer your question, but the first thing I was trying to say is that if we don't use up these resources, Earth will be consumed by the sun anyways and secondly there is no reason why you should have children >_> Like I mean I'm not fond of scrawny little brats but I still want to get married and get kids---

It's also the general attitude of society. To breed is to survive. To survive is to dominate. That's it. It's like having a child leaves your mark on this planet. Well.. that's what a lot of people think, I spose :\

>_> And human nature says "I want to overtake this land".

Yah.

Signature Image
Misa|Virtuoso and Legend of W.A.R - UA|Most coordinated Legion of W.A.R
MINITOKYO-WIDE KNOCKOUT WALLING COMP: LAUNCHES MARCH 2010. ONE WINNER. ONE PRIZE.
ADD ME TO YOUR FRIENDS <3

With regards to agrarian countries stuck in Third World standards, many jobs are still done via manual labour.

Planting of seeds, caring for the field/ livestock, harvesting...all require intensive manpower. No poor farmer is able to afford to hire extra hands when he is financially tight. The only solution would be to have many kids so that they can help with the farmwork when they are old enough.

This is particularly true back when humans were still stuck in an agrarian society and I believe still holds true today in certain nations (eg. Africa).

Devildude

Devildude

- Alstroemeria Records -

yes indeed, why do we do it because it is nature and a part of our original designs.
in the beginning, when nothing more than bacteria existed, it is the same thing.
we tend to have that written in our head.
so we tend to reproduce whenever we can and to ensure our survival...
plus with the average age of a human, if we do not reproduce, all it takes is 25 years and then the economy will crumble because there is not enough people working to keep it up....that is the sad reality

Click signature for my blog
Signature Image
The wind of destiny blows, and the descendant shall walk the earth once more...

Miroku4444

Miroku4444

Ecchi Enthusiast!!

I heard if all the ppl of the earth would only have a certain # of kids the population of the planet would not increase.

Signature Image

Look I hate to say this but if you haven't been watching the news recently we are on the verge of a massive pandemic. So if we're lucky something like 50% of the people that get infected will die. Plus the way the world is right now there is the chance of more ethnic clensings, a terrorist attack involving wmd (probably not a nuke but a person can make mustard gas and various other chemical agents with stuff lying around in their basement) and maybe if Bush feels the urge to invade some other s***hole on the ass end of the world another large scale war. So while the population of our stupid, short-sighted, and needlessly violent species is a concern remember that in most of the world that life is cheap and we would willingly kill each other at the drop of a hat.

Quote by DarkFate13Look I hate to say this but if you haven't been watching the news recently we are on the verge of a massive pandemic. So if we're lucky something like 50% of the people that get infected will die.

Uh huh. And SARS was supposed to wipe out millions of people worldwide.

I think this whole Avian Flu thing is yet another case of the panic not being worth the actual event.

Syngo

Syngo

Laughing in my head 24/7.

In nature, large numbers of animals are wiped out by natural disasters. People, on the otherhand, unlike animals, have wars. I see hatred and war as kind of a sick equilibrium of life and death. Should we stop breeding? As long as hate exists, I don't think so.

Fundamentally it does not matter if people reproduce. We will be limited by the finite nature of our current environment. I don't just mean the Earth, but our ability to survive (in our current form) in a particular, friendly, space/time area of the universe. The short term effects of overpopulation on planet Earth will be the lowering of "quality of life" in first world nations. I don't believe any group or sub-group of humans or animals is any better than any other and has a right to experience less suffering.

Life in general is an amazing thing, and individual choice about having children will be a reflection of the stability, education, and security of a population. We should all be working to raise the standard of living around the globe, that is the surest form of birth control.

So to answer the question... "so much" is a relative term and I think people do need to reproduce "so much" as their society and environment dictates.

Krissby

Krissby

~})i({~

Umm.. heh, I'd just like to suggest a book that this reminded me of... "Brave New World" by Aldous Huxley...

Ok, this is an intriguing question... As stated earlier, it's all balanced somewhere.

Yes, we don't need to have 12 kids anymore to make sure that 5 live decent lives, the infant mortality rate is much better, and no, we don't need that many kids to make them help out on the farm (well in most areas atleast).. but people (myself included) want not only the knowledge that my family tree will continue to sprout new branches, but the experience of raising a kid.

I mean, think about that... it's like the ultimate test, can you raise a kid right? will he make you proud? or will she go sell her body to the night? And when you have grandkids, what will you think?

Also, there's the constructive side of things... Sure I can be a craftsman and make a table of wood, or be an autoworker and make a car of steel, but for some reason, it's not as rewarding as making something,
SOMEONE who can Think and breath and (as much as it sucks) talk back to you.

Which I suppose brings up the power trip... yes, you can now play God... atleast for your own kids... but somehow you don't think of it that way, you think of it at a lower level, you can help them, you can teach them, you can show them the world...

And if that's too romantic for you.. just think of it this way... sure we can NOT have kids, but who thinks of that stuff in bed? It's an instinct, you're born, you learn the ways of the world, you find a mate, you have kids, you die... isn't that really all that life (and not just human life) is?

And if you're worried about population, give it time, I'm sure when it gets that bad, we'll either have another plague, a world war, or well start a space colony... depending on what kind of anime you like. I (being a constructive, positive thinking, Cowboy Bebop/Outlaw Star fan, think the latter).

-=JML=-

BorisGrishenko

BorisGrishenko

send spike

I say people should reproduce as much as humanly possible. All the "overpopulation" worries are just fearmongering and illogic.

I am invincible!

bqc

Hopefully by the time overpopulation is a major crisis, more so than it is now, Living in space would be an option. Who knows, we might be living on the moon or in gigantic space ships...

I think it's fine to have many kids so long as you love and take care of them, and I don't think reducing the human population is the great solution for our problems with limited resources. If we are running out of coal, oil and the like, a better solution is to convert to renewable forms of energy.

embershadow

embershadow

Quincy Archer Hates You

They reproduce because they like having sex.

Having kids is fine, but having too many contributes to overpopulation. I see regulation laws in our future.

Signature Image
Bleach-Central | Anime Story Club
My Latest Submission: Nino

SierriusBlack

SierriusBlack

Atheistic Debater

Quote by cup-of-teaI think it's fine to have many kids so long as you love and take care of them, and I don't think reducing the human population is the great solution for our problems with limited resources. If we are running out of coal, oil and the like, a better solution is to convert to renewable forms of energy.

And when we run out of land...?

People shouldn't be having more than two kids. What's the point of having more than that? To prove you can? You like nuturing? Buy a dog. Humans thing that they're so high and mighty that they're above nature, but when we run out of natural recources, it's going to be nature having the last laugh.

China already restricts the amount of children you can have, and I think that the U.S. should adopt this policy soon.

A man's ethical behavior should be based effectually on sympathy, education, and social ties; no religious basis is necessary. Man would indeed be in a poor way if he had to be restrained by fear of punishment and hope of reward after death.
-Albert Einstein

Kyoo69

me -> Kyo`

Well, I still think it has some balance. The population isn't increasing that fast and before it will become a problem we might already have a war/pandemic/end of the world, so I wouldn't worrie for now :P Either this way or another, I believe a solution will be provided.

Quote by harakiriThe room that is not used is room that cannot be used. People don't gather in cities for fun. To make life possible you need certain infrastructural basics that are not given everywhere.

Which doesn't mean that those basics won't be created on those not used grounds. It will take time, but eventually become possible.

Quote by TeryonSure, im here because of reproduction, but my parents didnt go and make 12 or 13 kids. There`s absolutely *no* reason for such a breeding pattern. And its NOT balanced. Why else would every other species exist nicely with their native habitat, and yet humanity over-breeds, spreads, consumes resource after resource without thought to where more might be found. C`mon, there is no balance with humanity currently.

Well, I don't see many families that make 12-13 kids. That's a rather extreme situation. And I agree that's far too much and there is no reason for so many children, it's just stupid.

up up and away

daos

daos

Dark Angel Of Silence

People are lazy, stupid, and violent. Why shouldn't we stop reproducing while we're at it? -__-
It is pretty stupid to a certain point, especially when you have more than two of these small lazy beings in your family. I think something should be done, but people are also greedy, thinking money is more important.

page 1 of 3 1 2 3 Next » 56 total items

Back to General Discussions | Active Threads | Forum Index

Only members can post replies, please register.

Warning: Undefined array key "cookienotice" in /var/www/minitokyo/www/html2/footer.html on line 73
This site uses cookies. By continuing to browse the site you are agreeing to our use of cookies. Read more.