This page shall house some reading recommendations for my viewers. While this blog aims to be a one-stop information resource, it shall remain an insurmountable task that I present all existing knowledge on the subject matters at hand.
Below is a curated list of books, articles, and websites that have been influential in fueling thought on ecological antinatalism. I have also taken the liberty of appending purchase links, in case you find yourself motivated to learn more about antinatalism.
Better Never to Have Been: The Harm Of Coming Into Existence | David Benatar
This book, aside from being surprisingly accessible and un-misanthropic, is arguably the book that started the antinatalist movement as a whole. In this book, Professor David Benatar elegantly develops his antinatalism from his famous Asymmetry Thesis, which later appears to be a philanthropic antinatalism. I strongly recommend this book as a starter into antinatalism.
Why Have Children?: The Ethical Debate | Christine Overall
While not an antinatalist per se, Professor Christine Overall argues to flip social convention on its head in this book by emphasizing that society ought to question why should one have children instead of the typical narrative of interrogating those who opt out of having children. Professor Overall, in this book, takes a holistic, multi-faceted stance in her consideration of childbearing before settling on conditions that she takes as acceptable for childbearing. This book is well-curated and carefully written, perfect for the prudent reader who does not immediately want to commit to antinatalism, but likewise wants to keep informed on the ethics of childbearing.
The Population Bomb | Paul Ehrlich
This book, when it was first published in 1971, caused quite a stir. In fact, it was likely the book that started the Zero Population Growth (ZPG) movement. It was written as a rude awakening to the fact that the Earth is reaching its carrying capacity of human beings, and that sustained population growth will be the demise of the planet and, subsequently, the human race. Dr. Ehrlich pessimistically posits in this book that there are only two solutions to the problem of population growth — an increase in death rates, or a decrease in population growth. For obvious reasons, he thinks the latter to be choice-worthy.
The Repugnant Conclusion | Derek Parfit
Published as a part of his seminal text "Persons and Reasons", the Repugnant Conclusion has become one of the most important philosophical problems in population ethics. Here, Professor Parfit challenges the notion that the world will be made a better place by increasing the number of (happy) people in the world, finding that further, sustained population growth may not be as morally choiceworthy as was initially thought.