Anti-natalism has more than one definition. But before we get into some definitional versions and ways to define this philosophy, because there are a lot of misconceptions and wrong assumptions, maybe it’s worth starting with what it is not. So anti-natalism is not hatred of children, nor hatred of man, nor hatred of life. Anti-natalism is also not some kind of umbrella concept that classifies people who would prefer not to be born. Of course, some anti-natalists do feel this way, but this personal feeling is not bound or fundamental to the anti-natalist view.
Antinatalism is an ideology whose basis lies on a moral opposition to reproduction.
According to antinatalism, reproduction is always morally wrong and for many reasons: causing unnecessary suffering to the created person, causing unnecessary suffering by the created person, a fundamental violation of the created person’s autonomy, putting the created person at unnecessary risk, gambling on someone else’s life, imposing a death sentence on someone else (because eventually everyone must die), imposing a life that is meaningless in itself on someone else, imposing a life that is fundamentally not good, treating someone else as a means to someone else’s ends, etc.
Anti-natalism is therefore not opposition to reproduction under certain conditions that supposedly make the creation of a human being morally wrong, such as early detection of genetic or other defects before birth, cases of expected parental incapacity such as severe poverty or any mental problems, cases of a dangerous environment such as a prolonged war, occupation, religious or political oppression, or due to “population explosion”. Anti-natalism is a principled moral opposition to the creation of a person regardless of early detection of birth defects, dire environmental conditions, parenting inability, etc. It is an opposition to the very decision, the very idea of creating someone else, always and under any conditions.
Not all common anti-natalist arguments aim at preventing suffering. But that’s probably the common motivation behind this position and it’s certainly our motivation. People should avoid reproduction in order to prevent the harm that will be caused to those who will be created and by those who will be created. Since it is never necessary to create someone, but it is always necessary that the created person experience some harm during his life, and cause some harm to others during his life, to create someone is always to cause unnecessary harm. And causing unnecessary harm is immoral.
The world is full of dangers
Living beings are very vulnerable and to many dangers
It is not necessary to create anyone
Therefore reproduction is to unnecessarily bring together dangers and vulnerable creatures