In terms of wanting, or not wanting babies, if we wish to predict what future generations will be like, then our most reliable guide as biologists comes from the principle (actually, law) of natural selection: the most common future traits for a species will be those of its predecessors (including those individuals alive today) that left the most descendants. This will be especially true for traits that affect offspring production directly. It is quite obvious, therefore, that for humans, these predecessors will not include those alive today who choose to be childless or childfree. The critical question then is, do we have any reason to suspect (or hope) that those individuals alive today whose heritable inclinations promote offspring production, also have heritable inclinations that will promote sustainability and protection for the environment? There is not a single species that has ever lived, including humans, whose evolution has resulted in these consequences. And, sadly, there is little reason to believe that the future evolution of humans will be any different.
Lonnie Aarssen
