= 27d567bc2d48d9f40e9ccc20ea370b15)
Lumifer comments on Is it immoral to have children? - Less Wrong Discussion
You are viewing a comment permalink. View the original post to see all comments and the full post content.
= 783df68a0f980790206b9ea87794c5b6)
Loading…= b715d02e85f7b3b4ae65ca3d3e450868)
Subscribe to RSS Feed
Powered by Reddit
= f037147d6e6c911a85753b9abdedda8d)
You are viewing a comment permalink. View the original post to see all comments and the full post content.
Comments (317)
I don' see how
(1) "I interpret Rachels' use of "in our position" as being that qualification, and I think that's how it was intended."
and (2) "I'm choosing to have kids anyway."
is consistent with
(3) "100%"
The right thing to do would be to completely maximize earnings and minimize expenses to the point where any additional decrease in spending on yourself would decrease earnings by even more. This would involve not having kids, but also not eating at restaurants, traveling, having a phone, going to movies, or anything else optional. In practice I don't think this works, and so what I think people should actually do is divide up their money into two pools: set an amount to donate and an amount to keep. Within the amount you keep, spend the money in whatever way you think will make you happiest and most fulfilled.
So I divide my spending into 30% to donate and 70% for everything else (taxes, housing, food, fun). In choosing to have kids my wife and I are displacing a lot of spending we would do on ourselves, but still keeping that 30/70 split.
Not having a phone? Really? That degree of isolation would make it harder to acquire or maintain gainful employment.
I think it depends what field you're in and how you use your phone. You basically can't be a plumber without a phone, but until 2011 I didn't have a phone working as a programmer and it didn't seem to be causing me any work trouble. (Just social trouble, like people no longer having functional doorbells and expecting you to call them when you arrived.)
For this "incredibly demanding" view (which I don't actually think humans should apply) the question is "does the phone bring in more money than it costs, all things considered?" and if it does then I've mischaracterized it above.