Atheism and Hope

[Faith No More]

Yes, I find. Allow me to unpack 'find'. If value is entirely subjective, then the only way any kind of value relevant to me which .. could exist would be if it originated from my own self; my own subjective opinion. If I deem subjectively, that is in a personal way which is not binding to any other individual but matters only to my self that people with degenerate traits, (people who would embody traits which we would consider less than healthy or that lead to profound suffering) should not reproduce, I would 'find' it that way.


If an individual 'finds' that suffering is valuable (in the suffering we come close to God, everything happens for a reason, etc.) than I can certainly understand a belief system which allows for reproductive rights for all. However, if one 'finds' that suffering is not necessary and is not valuable, then it could follow that perhaps those with traits which would lead to profound suffering should withhold their reproduction and should be encouraged to do so. Again, I say this as someone who would put myself in the category of one whose right to reproduce should not be allowed. Or, at least in my opinion, due to health issues and mental illness. I believe, subjectively, that these traits (mental illness, severe physical defects) are more important than things like eye color or hair color and to compare them is not make an adequate comparison. You can find otherwise


Lesser point, I never claimed one must have only one reason to live. May you find a hundred.

One problem there is that neurological traits like depression are not solely due to genetics. Except maybe in rare cases, genetics can only predispose us to psychological issues, and it's actually our environment that determines the severity of those issues. If a person such as myself is worried about passing a trait like depression on, I'm not stuck simply refraining from reproducing. There are ways to minimze the effects, and I'm certain that given the right knoweldge, we could be capable of eliminating them all. The brain is a reactive organ, so we can help determine its development by controlling what it is exposed to.

That's evolution, though. We've evolved complex brains to manipulate our environment, which leads us to overcome certain issues. Perhaps even our next step in evolution is to overcome neurological issues altogether, and by not passing on your genes for our species to have more experience with those issues, you may be hindering us from taking that next step.

You're misapplying evolution as a whole, and it's actually quite hubris to claim to know what direction it is going. Unlike a non-existant god, evolution actually does work in mysterious ways. And hell, it's not called natural selection for no reason. By going and making your own decisions, you may be moving in the opposite direction as evolution needs to go.