#1243 Jeff McMahan: Antinatalism, Extinctionism, Gene Editing, and Overpopulation
RECORDED ON MARCH 25th 2026.
Dr. Jeff McMahan is Sekyra and White’s Professor of Moral Philosophy at the University of Oxford. He specializes in Practical Ethics, Political Philosophy, and Ethics. He is editor of the Journal of Controversial Ideas. He’s the author of books like The Morality of Nationalism, The Ethics of Killing: Problems at the Margins of Life, and Killing in War.
In this episode, we talk about reproductive ethics. We first discuss antinatalism, and what makes life worth living or starting. We explore the ethics of abortion. We talk about extinctionism. We discuss the ethics of gene editing and embryo selection, and eugenics. Finally, we talk about population ethics, and explore questions such as whether there are instances where there would be a duty to reproduce; whether women are coerced into reproducing; and overpopulation, and instances where there would be a moral duty to not reproduce.
Time Links:
Intro
What is reproductive ethics?
Antinatalism, and what makes life worth living/starting
The ethics of abortion
Extinctionism
The ethics of gene editing and embryo selection, and eugenics
Population ethics
A moral duty to reproduce?
Are women coerced into reproducing?
A moral duty to not reproduce?
Follow Dr. McMahan’s work!
Follow Dr. McMahan’s work:
Faculty Page: http://bit.ly/367MzFG
PhilPeople page: http://bit.ly/2GjzJbE
Personal website: http://bit.ly/36atClp
Amazon page: https://amzn.to/2MNC1Ud