The Case For Having Kids
5 unusual arguments for procreation
Hello there,
In a few centuries, our reproduction pattern has gone from “Imma build a cricket team with a 12th man” to “Bro having a kid is so much responsibility ya, you can’t even travel abroad 6 times a year”.
This is one of the defining symptoms of modernity. Rising incomes and rising education are making humans question the evolutionary purpose of their existence.
And this change in thinking isn’t illogical. Having a kid in 2025 is tough.
The rising cost of living, the endless need to hustle at work, the breakdown of family structures, and the lure of consumerist pleasures have all combined to wage the perfect war on procreation.
While fully acknowledging that holding a yelling infant in one hand while AI-generating an email response to your toxic boss with the other isn’t easy, I want to make the case for why we should continue having kids.
Yes, it might take a few extra EMIs to pay off the baby spa loans you took from Dhanlaxmi Bank. Yes, the baby might trigger severe depression in the first year, and you may never return from the abyss.
Despite these challenges, I believe having kids is one of the most profoundly meaningful acts we can undertake today—not for obvious reasons, but for the philosophical and civilizational impact it has.
What I’m proposing hereby is a philosophical case for procreation- and it doesn’t cover the obvious ones like the joy of having a family, having someone to watch out for you when you’re 97 and every organ in your body has malfunctioned, etc.
Nevertheless, these are ideas that’ll make your broke, depressed, red-eyed self proud of the decision to extend your gene pool (in case you’re one of those who has taken the plunge).
Civilizational Skin In The Game
In a world of climate risks, AI doom, nuclear threats, and financial volatility, having a doomer outlook is rapidly proliferating. The rise in addiction to digital technologies and the mental health crisis are good indicators of more and more people harboring a bleak outlook. In such a time, having kids provides a strong response to nihilism.
When nihilism reigns supreme, people start caring even less about the consequences of their actions & the world of tomorrow and prefer living in the here and now, satiating their immediate needs without having any spare fucks to give about the future of the species.
But the moment one has kids, a big shift occurs.
Having offspring that’ll deal with the consequences of our actions tomorrow immediately changes the incentive structure- and makes us want to do stuff that’ll ensure civilizational continuity and a future that’s better than the present.
Parents have civilizational skin in the game, and there’s a good chance they’d no longer accept the “Who cares, I’ll be dead by then” school of thinking.
Long-Term Outlook
A related point is that the presence of a vulnerable life in need of the best care and nurturing can also nudge people to adopt a long-term outlook.
The very freedom and independence offered by not having dependents can fire in the other direction and make us take very short-term decisions for our lives and careers.
Just the way buying a house suddenly introduces a sense of financial discipline in the lives of chronic spendthrifts, having a baby ratchets that dynamic to a much higher level.
Unlike a house, a baby isn’t a disposable commodity—it’s someone you love more than yourself, and that love sparks a profound transformation in your outlook on work, finances, and life.
First Principles Thinking
This may sound hilarious, but babies are hardcore philosophers.
By questioning everything you take for granted and relentlessly deploying the 5 whys technique (more like Infinite Whys), babies force you to re-examine your assumptions, and evaluate everything around you from a first-principles perspective- explaining things without leaning on conventions and “That’s just how it is” explanations.
Most parents try to shut out their babies’ violent, repetitive barrage of “But why is that so?”.
But by entertaining their kids’ questions, parents don’t just nurture curious minds—they also evolve as thinkers, sharpening their intellectual humility and critical reasoning skills.
An Investment In Human Flourishing
Why have humans flourished and come so far? How have we come to inhabit rich societies with so much technological progress?
When you examine the reasons that caused this wonderland to come about (I wrote about this in detail here), you realize that the presence of more people on the Earth was a significant contributing factor.
The more the population rises, the higher the chance that we give birth to the next Einsteins, Boses, and Teslas- who then do the unthinkable and produce stuff that changes the trajectory of the species.
Conversely, societies (like the Inuit) with declining populations slowly lost their tools & technologies and experienced severe decline. Paradoxically, a larger number of people increases the likelihood that we’ll continue our upward progress and reduce the risks of losing out on the techno-bounty we’ve created.
Evolutionary Wisdom
Lastly, I also want to acknowledge the power of ideas that have been around for millions of years and the risks of going against conventional wisdom.
Ideas that have endured the test of time often carry wisdom we’ve yet to fully understand.
While not every ancient idea is worth preserving, reproduction serves such a profound evolutionary purpose that rejecting it without a clear alternative feels reckless. In matters this foundational, prudence often outweighs bold contrarianism—it ensures we don’t unknowingly unravel the very fabric of what sustains humanity.
Having kids isn’t just a personal choice—it’s a vote of confidence in humanity’s future.
In a world filled with challenges, it’s an act of defiance, hope, and a deep belief in the enduring power of life itself.
So, while the road isn’t easy, it leads to meaning, growth, and the flourishing of all that makes us human.
Thanks for tuning in! If you enjoyed this, share it with that couple who’s still confused about this decision. Or with those who’re visiting the psychiatrist because their half-year-old is driving them nuts.
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A very neutral perspective yet in the favour of the vast majority - the humanity. Loved it Sahil. I would personally like to know if there are any comments. Regards
My intuition was always to have a kid but I couldn't really put a finger on why. You articulated it well. The slow slide into nihilism and consumerism in the absence of a greater purpose scares me.
Another point is that any logical discourse here is impossible(as I'm sure you will find in the comments). You can make decisions based on the parameters you care about now. But once you have a kid you change as a person. Those parameters change. I am yet to meet a parent who would uniquvocally agree to have made a bad choice. This is a decision making problem that cannot be dealt with using the same frameworks. Check out the book transformative experiences.
"Transformative Experience is a 2014 book by philosopher L. A. Paul. The book analyzes decision-making in circumstances where one of the possible options offers a radically new experience that cannot be assessed in advance, such as deciding to become a parent, or choosing to alter one's physical or mental capabilities. "