Goaded
I’m touched to see Tyler publicly defending me and my clone, and think I ought to respond to his only reservation:
If I have any criticism of Bryan, it’s that he’s pro-natalist (fine in
my book) but I’ve never heard him promote the idea of adopting a child
or defend the idea of raising a biological child who is, for whatever
reason, very different from his or her parents. (Don’t overreact here
and interpret his silence in a negative way, I’m simply goading him to
take up these issues, which I think will force him to revise his
thought.)
I probably haven’t addressed these issues because my views are conventional. On adoption: I think that adoption is a noble, generous act, and admire those who do it. But I personally don’t want to adopt. On raising a biological child very different from myself: Of course I’d still love and raise him/her. My post on “parenthood as the trump of all past regret” is predicated on this endowment effect. Still, I’m honest enough to admit that I’d be happier if my child and I had a lot in common.
Tyler goes on:
Furthermore I think his intuitions about similarity, and
child-rearing, will change once (some of) his kids start rebelling
against him.
I’m puzzled. Since my current view is that nurture has little long-run effect on kids, why would their rebellion make me rethink my position?
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