Introduction
By David Benatar and David Wasserman
Part One
Anti-Natalism
By David Benatar
1. Introducing Anti-Natalism
2. The Asymmetry Argument
3. The Quality of Life Argument
4. The Misanthropic Argument
5. Contra Procreation
Part Two
Pro-Natalism
By David Wasserman
6. Better to Have Lived and Lost?
7 Against Anti-Natalism
8. The Good of the Future Child and the Parent-Child Relationship
as Goals of Procreation
9. Impersonal Constraints on Procreation
10. Alternatives to Impersonal Approaches: Birthrights and
Role-Based Duties
David Benatar is Professor and Head of Philosophy at the University
of Cape Town, South Africa. He is the author of Better Never to
Have Been: The Harm of Coming into Existence (Oxford), and The
Second Sexism: Discrimination Against Men and Boys
(Wiley-Blackwell).
David Wasserman works at the Center for Bioethics at Yeshiva
University and is a Visiting Scholar in the Department of Bioethics
of the National Institutes of Health. He has written extensively on
ethical issues in reproduction, disability, genetics,
biotechnology, and neuroscience.
"A terrific and very accessible exchange between two highly
accomplished philosophers that will not only provide readers with
an excellent sense of the broader debate on procreative ethics but
also introduce them to two original and contrasting contributions
to that debate."
--David Archard, Queen's University, Belfast
"Most people seem to believe that there are no purely moral reasons
to have a child and, at least in most cases, no moral reasons not
to have a child. This complacency about the morality of procreation
is formidably challenged in this provocative book. While Benatar
advances probing arguments for the unusual view that all
procreation is impermissible, Wasserman's carefully reasoned case
for the permissibility of procreation is qualified in ways that
many
readers will find surprising. Both authors are highly distinguished
philosophers whom it is exciting to follow as they develop and
defend their clashing positions on the range of important issues
they
address."
--Jeff McMahan, University of Oxford
"Both incredibly well-written and full of new insight, is the best
that has yet been done on the difficult topic of procreative
ethics. Two philosophers have been brilliantly paired here and the
result is something I am very eager to make use of in my next
ethics seminar. Benatar has never done a better job arguing for his
own off-the-beaten-path position that procreation is as a general
matter morally wrong. And, while the position Wasserman presents
may
itself seem perfectly intuitive or even commonsensical, it is a
position that many contemporary moral philosophers have found
deeply problematic. Thus both philosophers, from their different
perspectives,
challenge mainstream procreative ethics. In doing so, they have
together written a book that should be carefully studied by all
parties to the debate - and that will no doubt be greatly enjoyed
by anyone fortunate enough to discover it whether moral philosopher
or not." --Melinda Roberts, The College of New Jersey
"In this concise volume, Benatar and Wasserman advance the
procreative ethics debate clearly, provocatively, and innovatively.
Each develops his side of the debate with originality, cogency, and
wit, and engages with the latest arguments in the field. The
problem is that they are both persuasive."
--Rivka Weinberg, Scripps College
"Its authors, David Benatar and David Wasserman, are not only very
capable philosophers, but also extremely gifted writers. The result
is a highly engaging and provocative book." - Jason Marsh,
Australasian Journal of Philosophy
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