[ExI] Gene drift and Atlantic article

[Keith Henson]

Tara Maya <tara at taramayastales.com> wrote:

> Smart people without children are a danger to the planet.

If you mean the human race, you should say so.   Humans are a long way
from being a danger to "the planet."  Although that may not always be
the case. Accelerando by Charles Stross (an early participant of this
list) has the "vile offspring" of the human race taking the Earth
apart to build clouds of "computronium" around the sun.

> Having children invests your interest in a human future. Having no children means you don't care if you destroy that future. That's motive.

I read this as unjustified generalizations.  Read up on Hamilton's
rule.  Even people with no children have a genetic interest in the
future.  According to gene testing, there are thousands of people who
share bits and pieces of my genes.

The problem with concern about the future is called "discount rate."
How this became part of our evolved psychology is worthy of serious
study.

> Brains gives you the means, and all that remains is opportunity to come along to invest in a future which is very hostile to human well-being.

> I don't trust politicians with no children, especially. And if a roboticist with no children started praising some AI, I would be very suspicious. Why should I trust that he wants the kind of future in which my children can thrive? He has zero stake in it. It's even worse if his biological urge to protect the next generation has been usurped by a robot parasite.

What is the long-term future?  Do humans stay biological?  Or do we
upload and become mostly machines?  Do we spread into the universe or
stay where the speed of light lets us communicate?  (Assuming no FTL.)

On a less expansive scale, the Atlantic has a fascinating article

Why Are Young People Having So Little Sex?

Despite the easing of taboos and the rise of hookup apps, Americans
are in the midst of a sex recession.

https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2018/12/the-sex-recession/573949/

Long article, but worth reading to the end.  Definitely related to
your concerns.

Keith