Over the past two decades, America’s birth rate has fallen below replacement level. Anti-natalist ideas now challenge the traditional beliefs that children bring happiness and are an essential part of “The American Dream”. In this talk Professor Silverman examines philosophical arguments about the potentials and risks of bringing more people into the world.

Eric J. Silverman is Professor of Philosophy at Christopher Newport University. His diverse academic interests include virtue ethics, philosophy of religion, and interdisciplinary research in psychology. He has more than fifty publications including seven books, including The Prudence of Love, Sexual Ethics for a Secular Age, and Virtuous and Vicious Expressions of Partiality.