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I don't understand how antinatalism or elifism are given any credence at all on an intellectual basis.
Not in that I disagree with them, but they are so.. simple. Most edgy 4th graders hit their friends with a variation of "we can end hunger by nuking Africa huehuehue". It's the same idea, if there is some sort of universal accumulator, and you want to maximize the number there. If something is a net negative, you are best off stopping everything once and for all. Maybe in 11th grade, you can incorporate the concept of the expected value into that philosophy.
If anything its utilitarianism (with trepdiations) taken to its logical extent.
Simpler arguments are easier to onboard people onto than complex arguments.
I'm not sure whether high level philosophy is iterating on them much.
But they're really easy for young intellectuals to get into and develop strong feelings about. So it makes sense that they propagate.
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