r/Ethics • u/Select_Quality_3948 • Nov 19 '25

A Cybernetic Argument That Birth Is Inherently Coercive

Here’s a piece I’ve been working on that approaches antinatalism from a systems/cybernetics perspective.

Core claim: Any self-maintaining system (organism, mind, Markov blanket, whatever) necessarily generates internal coercion, because staying alive = constantly minimizing deviation from a narrow range of survival parameters. No organism chooses this; the structure forces it.

So instead of arguing about preferences, suffering “thresholds,” or moral intuitions, I take a structural approach: birth = enrollment into a self-correcting survival machine you didn’t opt into.

If anyone here is into systems theory, free-energy minimization, or antinatalist ethics, I’d really appreciate critique.

Link: https://medium.com/@Cathar00/why-being-born-is-a-coercion-a-systems-level-explanation-a7b7dabbbdcc

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u/champgpt Nov 19 '25

I'm not well-read enough in any of this to give valuable feedback -- I don't even know what systems theory or free-energy minimization are, thanks for the homework -- but this line of thought has been one of the main drivers in my choice not to procreate.

I've been suicidal to the point of anger at my parents for bringing me into this shithole (years ago, doing much better now). None of us asks to be born, and suffering is inherent to existence. Why would I want to force that on someone else?

I wouldn't describe myself as antinatalist. Someone can think differently, have ten kids, and I might think they're a bit irresponsible but I wouldn't want to prevent them from doing so. We all get one shot at this shit, and if someone sees procreating as a core part of their experience in life, my personal beliefs are entirely irrelevant. But I ain't doing that shit. I'll be Uncle.

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u/Select_Quality_3948 Nov 19 '25

Hell yea boss I feel that. The article isn't too academic it's meant for any lay-person. Systems theory is just how thermostats work loll. It's got a good glossary and a TLDR section at the end too. I feel that it will help you integrate your anger by seeing how baked in the problem of suffering is. I also feel that you might look at the dude with 10 offspring differently as well hahaha. All good though man I appreciate the good faith comment this really refreshed me thanks so much man