Introduction ; By David Benatar and David Wasserman ; Part One ; Anti-Natalism ; By David Benatar ; 1. Introducing Anti-Natalism ; 2. The Asymmetry Argument ; 3. The Quality of Life Argument ; 4. The Misanthropic Argument ; 5. Contra Procreation ; Part Two ; Pro-Natalism ; By David Wasserman ; 6. Better to Have Lived and Lost? ; 7 Against Anti-Natalism ; 8. The Good of the Future Child and the Parent-Child Relationship as Goals of Procreation ; 9. Impersonal Constraints on Procreation ; 10. Alternatives to Impersonal Approaches: Birthrights and Role-Based Duties

"A terrific and very accessible exchange between two highly accomplished philosophers that will not only provide readers with an excellent sense of the broader debate on procreative ethics but also introduce them to two original and contrasting contributions to that debate." --David Archard, Queen's University, Belfast "Most people seem to believe that there are no purely moral reasons to have a child and, at least in most cases, no moral reasons not to have a child. This complacency about the morality of procreation is formidably challenged in this provocative book. While Benatar advances probing arguments for the unusual view that all procreation is impermissible, Wasserman's carefully reasoned case for the permissibility of procreation is qualified in ways that many readers will find surprising. Both authors are highly distinguished philosophers whom it is exciting to follow as they develop and defend their clashing positions on the range of important issues they address." --Jeff McMahan, University of Oxford "Both incredibly well-written and full of new insight, is the best that has yet been done on the difficult topic of procreative ethics. Two philosophers have been brilliantly paired here and the result is something I am very eager to make use of in my next ethics seminar. Benatar has never done a better job arguing for his own off-the-beaten-path position that procreation is as a general matter morally wrong. And, while the position Wasserman presents may itself seem perfectly intuitive or even commonsensical, it is a position that many contemporary moral philosophers have found deeply problematic. Thus both philosophers, from their different perspectives, challenge mainstream procreative ethics. In doing so, they have together written a book that should be carefully studied by all parties to the debate - and that will no doubt be greatly enjoyed by anyone fortunate enough to discover it whether moral philosopher or not." --Melinda Roberts, The College of New Jersey "In this concise volume, Benatar and Wasserman advance the procreative ethics debate clearly, provocatively, and innovatively. Each develops his side of the debate with originality, cogency, and wit, and engages with the latest arguments in the field. The problem is that they are both persuasive." --Rivka Weinberg, Scripps College "Its authors, David Benatar and David Wasserman, are not only very capable philosophers, but also extremely gifted writers. The result is a highly engaging and provocative book." - Jason Marsh, Australasian Journal of Philosophy

Selling point: An accessible introduction to the current debate on the ethics of procreating. Selling point: The second half of the book criticizes several leading anti-natalist views, surveys a variety of moderate pronatalist positions, and defends a position informed by the role morality of prospective parents.

David Benatar is Professor and Head of Philosophy at the University of Cape Town, South Africa. He is the author of Better Never to Have Been: The Harm of Coming into Existence (Oxford), and The Second Sexism: Discrimination Against Men and Boys (Wiley-Blackwell). David Wasserman works at the Center for Bioethics at Yeshiva University and is a Visiting Scholar in the Department of Bioethics of the National Institutes of Health. He has written extensively on ethical issues in reproduction, disability, genetics, biotechnology, and neuroscience.

Selling point: An accessible introduction to the current debate on the ethics of procreating. Selling point: The second half of the book criticizes several leading anti-natalist views, surveys a variety of moderate pronatalist positions, and defends a position informed by the role morality of prospective parents.