Good Ideology, Wrong Species?: The ‘Human Parasite’ Motif from the Population Bomb to the Anthropocene

The ‘human parasite’ has been a recurring motif in ecological discourse that questions our species’ continued reproduction. The motif has returned in recent decades as the Anthropocene discourse intensified. Through participant observation and interviews with anti-natalists, this paper charts the genealogy of the human parasite motif, from the early Voluntary Human Extinction Movement to contemporary activists. Anti-natalists view humanity as fundamentally parasitic – creatures that take without giving back – and therefore believe humanity must go extinct. Despite advocating for voluntary extinction, anti-natalists recognise the improbability of species-wide transformation, given their belief that humans are biologically predisposed to reproduce. This recognition generates a distinctly Kantian ethical orientation, focusing not on outcomes but on the categorical duty of non-procreation. Such an ethics exemplify a broader current within the Anthropocene of how to live ethically in uncertain times, which the paper takes up briefly in the conclusion.