Should people bring children into today’s world? Between climate change, economic strain, political conflict, and growing uncertainty about the future, more people today say they feel ambivalent about parenthood, especially progressive people.

Philosophers Anastasia Berg and Rachel Wiseman—authors of What Are Children For?—explore the personal, political, and philosophical stakes of having kids. From the tedium and vulnerability of early parenting to the profound meaning and joy it can bring, this conversation opens space for anyone wrestling with one of life’s biggest decisions. 

Full transcript available at relationscapes.org. 

About the Guests

Anastasia Berg is Assistant Professor of Philosophy at University of California, Irvine. She serves as editor of ​The Point magazine, a Chicago-based literary magazine that publishes philosophical writing on everyday life and culture.

Rachel Wiseman is managing editor of The Point. Together they wrote "What Are Children For?: On Ambivalence and Choice."