Dr. Bill von Hippel

Well, I actually think it's separate from pornography because right now we've already separated our sexual activity from our reproduction, right? You can just be on the pill, use a condom, use whatever you want, which our ancestors couldn't do and other animals can't do. And so the amount of sex that we have is completely uncorrelated with how many kids we decide to have.

Well, I actually think it's separate from pornography because right now we've already separated our sexual activity from our reproduction, right? You can just be on the pill, use a condom, use whatever you want, which our ancestors couldn't do and other animals can't do. And so the amount of sex that we have is completely uncorrelated with how many kids we decide to have.

And so if you set pornography aside, fertility rates are going way down. And I think that's simply because we never evolved to want children. We evolved to want sex. And so if you want sex, if you enjoy sex, and then you've also evolved to be nurturant to whatever child comes along from that, bingo, you're a mom or a dad.

And so if you set pornography aside, fertility rates are going way down. And I think that's simply because we never evolved to want children. We evolved to want sex. And so if you want sex, if you enjoy sex, and then you've also evolved to be nurturant to whatever child comes along from that, bingo, you're a mom or a dad.

But if you evolved to want kids, you go back a little ways, you would have no idea how to achieve that. You wouldn't have known what to do.

But if you evolved to want kids, you go back a little ways, you would have no idea how to achieve that. You wouldn't have known what to do.

It equals kids. And then all you have to do is evolve to be nurturing to them because they're so dependent in humans when they're born.

It equals kids. And then all you have to do is evolve to be nurturing to them because they're so dependent in humans when they're born.

And I wasn't keen to have more kids. I have some children who've grown to adulthood. I felt like I don't need any more kids. But then I have another kid and I'm just in love with her, right? You can't help yourself.

And I wasn't keen to have more kids. I have some children who've grown to adulthood. I felt like I don't need any more kids. But then I have another kid and I'm just in love with her, right? You can't help yourself.

We've intervened, and that intervention is what's potentially going to lead to there being no more humans. So if you look at the current population of the globe, it's meant to peak somewhere between, say, 2070 and 2090. Probably around 8 billion and some change. And then it starts to go down. And then it may continue to go down forever.

We've intervened, and that intervention is what's potentially going to lead to there being no more humans. So if you look at the current population of the globe, it's meant to peak somewhere between, say, 2070 and 2090. Probably around 8 billion and some change. And then it starts to go down. And then it may continue to go down forever.

Now, it may be that what causes you to want to have kids is very societal. It's very, well, my apartment's small and I don't want to schlep them around. It's hard work. You could imagine a world where now robots are everywhere and where you've got all the space in the world because there's not that many humans or we've moved to the country and e-commute or whatever.

Now, it may be that what causes you to want to have kids is very societal. It's very, well, my apartment's small and I don't want to schlep them around. It's hard work. You could imagine a world where now robots are everywhere and where you've got all the space in the world because there's not that many humans or we've moved to the country and e-commute or whatever.

Maybe suddenly we'll want to have six or eight of them again because our robot's the one who gets up in the middle of the night with him and we don't have to. But right now, if you think about having kids, it's hard yards. And so lots and lots of people say, well, I just don't want to do that.

Maybe suddenly we'll want to have six or eight of them again because our robot's the one who gets up in the middle of the night with him and we don't have to. But right now, if you think about having kids, it's hard yards. And so lots and lots of people say, well, I just don't want to do that.

And the consequence is that in every single country that's industrialized and rich, the reproductive rate of females is less than 2.1 per female, which is what you need in order to maintain population at the current level. And so every single country on Earth is shrinking, but for immigration. And so right now, you know, we have all these fights about immigration.

And the consequence is that in every single country that's industrialized and rich, the reproductive rate of females is less than 2.1 per female, which is what you need in order to maintain population at the current level. And so every single country on Earth is shrinking, but for immigration. And so right now, you know, we have all these fights about immigration.

It's going to be, I promise you, in 50 years, that argument's going to be the exact opposite. How can we convince people of country X to come into our country? Because we're going to shrink and disappear. There's a lot of countries that are going to be literally half their size by the year 2100 because they're shrinking so fast.

It's going to be, I promise you, in 50 years, that argument's going to be the exact opposite. How can we convince people of country X to come into our country? Because we're going to shrink and disappear. There's a lot of countries that are going to be literally half their size by the year 2100 because they're shrinking so fast.