Hi Sam,

Thank you for the thoughtful reply.

There are two points that I would respond with.

1) I don't actually think that considering people as consumers is unpalatable, on the contrary I am generally attracted to doing so, so this article was really an attempt to consider other ways of morally valuing individuals. I think I agree with all the points you make on this front, and I hadn't thought sufficiently about adoption- it definitely seems intuitively to be the moral option.

2) I'm not totally sold on the argument that life is suffering, I need to hear more arguments for it before I can see the difference between anti-natalism and a pro-suicide perspective for example (I see you've written on this, I'll add it to my list). Personally I feel that certain moments can justify other suffering moments retroactively, and therefore that life can in theory be positive.

Overall, the essay is an exercise in separating moral roles as an attempt to remove the concept of hypocrisy from the debate. There is a lot more to be argued on that front though. Thanks for your response, it has helped me think on why I wrote the piece and how I might better express the point.