2) Slaves can only be born by other slaves, or by parents who choose to conceive a slave child (which creates the initial stock and an influx of new slaves).
3) Slaves have no rights other than to access drugs, including the best drugs for suicide. They cannot be prevented from taking them by anyone, including their owners.
Effects of this policy: Additional people would be born that will not be born otherwise. These additional people would be of use to the existing people, because they have no rights to welfare or other redistribution. They would also benefit from their existence, since they can always end it if they feel otherwise.
The assumption is that the birh rates are lower than carrying capacity allows, and potential lives are lost because no one wants to pay for their costs. This policy would create an incentive to have more children, without harming anyone. The benefit to these additional children would be small, as their lives would not be very good, but still positive, since their lives would be voluntary.
You assume people will commit suicide if their life is not worth living. People have a strong instinct against suicide, so I doubt they’d do it unless their life is not worth living by a wide margin.
Legalize slavery, with the following rules:
1) Non-slaves can never become slaves.
2) Slaves can only be born by other slaves, or by parents who choose to conceive a slave child (which creates the initial stock and an influx of new slaves).
3) Slaves have no rights other than to access drugs, including the best drugs for suicide. They cannot be prevented from taking them by anyone, including their owners.
Effects of this policy: Additional people would be born that will not be born otherwise. These additional people would be of use to the existing people, because they have no rights to welfare or other redistribution. They would also benefit from their existence, since they can always end it if they feel otherwise.
The assumption is that the birh rates are lower than carrying capacity allows, and potential lives are lost because no one wants to pay for their costs. This policy would create an incentive to have more children, without harming anyone. The benefit to these additional children would be small, as their lives would not be very good, but still positive, since their lives would be voluntary.
You assume people will commit suicide if their life is not worth living. People have a strong instinct against suicide, so I doubt they’d do it unless their life is not worth living by a wide margin.
Additional assumptions you are making:
The only cost of suicide is physical pain
Humans mature into rational adults immediately after birth
What other cost is there? If you have something like fear in mind, you can give them a tranquilizer before.
No, but you can explain the deal to them pretty early on. Certainly better than not living.
This would also solve the organ shortage.