I think you're being too quick to assume that if the goal is something like maximizing overall utility that occurs by increasing the population. First, it now becomes a critical question as to whether it's overall or average utility.
For instance, given the vast distances of interstellar space, it's not necessarily unreasonable to think t…
I think you're being too quick to assume that if the goal is something like maximizing overall utility that occurs by increasing the population. First, it now becomes a critical question as to whether it's overall or average utility.
For instance, given the vast distances of interstellar space, it's not necessarily unreasonable to think that almost all the utility you can affect will occur on earth and if that's true it really matters what your principle constraint is...if it's simply life-years before the planet becomes uninhabitable then yes. OTOH if it's resource constraints you may want to do the opposite.
Not to mention the huge consideration of whether or not increased fertility makes people less adverse to war (if you have few children do you treat risks to them as greater costs?)
I think you're being too quick to assume that if the goal is something like maximizing overall utility that occurs by increasing the population. First, it now becomes a critical question as to whether it's overall or average utility.
For instance, given the vast distances of interstellar space, it's not necessarily unreasonable to think that almost all the utility you can affect will occur on earth and if that's true it really matters what your principle constraint is...if it's simply life-years before the planet becomes uninhabitable then yes. OTOH if it's resource constraints you may want to do the opposite.
Not to mention the huge consideration of whether or not increased fertility makes people less adverse to war (if you have few children do you treat risks to them as greater costs?)