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‘Having Kids Vs Child Free: What’s the Right Choice?’ | Post Mortem Stream

Philosophy Tube | May 22, 2026



Talking about the latest episode of the show, how it was made and what the feedback was!
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/PhilosophyTube
Nebula: https://go.nebula.tv/philosophytube

There Are Many Different Kinds of Love, Brethren Arise, Candlepower, Cylinder Five, God Be With You Till We Meet Again, I Am Running Down the…, I Dont See the Branches I See the Leaves, I Want to Fall in Love on Snapchat, Out of the Skies Under the Earth, Take off and Shoot A Zero, The House Glows with Almost No Help, There Are Many Different Kinds of Love, all by Chris Zabriskie are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/…)
Source: http://chriszabriskie.com/vendaface/
Artist: http://chriszabriskie.com/

Written by Philosophy Tube

Comments

This post currently has 46 comments.

  1. @Maydonaise

    May 22, 2026 at 6:13 pm

    I LOVED the video, it's really sad it didn't "perform" as well as others. I wanted to see it since a long time, yesterday I sat down with my boyfriend and we watched it and then talked about it. Also, I had tears in my eyes couple of times during the video. I enjoy all your videos but this one was the most emotional so far. I cried when you cried, and I cried when you told us about your choice. Thank you for the video. Now I'm watching this one because I couldn't get enough of the topic.. 🙂

  7. @Mystiella

    May 22, 2026 at 6:13 pm

    Eventually I think it comes to what sort of problems are you willing to face? Every choice has its own problems and demands. So choose one that you want. Don't let others discourage you- whether it be child free or with children

    I only advocate for informed choice. Whatever you choose, learn the limitations and challenges parallel to your own happiness.

  8. @maddie9602

    May 22, 2026 at 6:13 pm

    54:30 I leave most YouTube videos on in the background while I'm at work, cooking, or cleaning, but I do make an effort to actually watch instead of listen to PhilosophyTube

  9. @maddie9602

    May 22, 2026 at 6:13 pm

    39:04 it really spoke to me, as a trans woman who's sad she can't have kids (especially as I turn 30 this year and so many of the people I grew up with are having families now), but also am not sure if I should even if I could. I can definitely see, if I didn't happen to be in a good headspace when the video came out, having to leave it on my watch later list for an extended period of time

  10. @emkerr90

    May 22, 2026 at 6:13 pm

    You mentioned in your patreon update that this video didn't do great in the views department, but for what it's worth, this video hit at exactly the right time for me, and really helped me put words to some of what I've been feeling, helped me process, and see things from previously unexplored angles. Thank you so much for what you do

  12. @whensarahdoesthings4662

    May 22, 2026 at 6:13 pm

    Would you ever consider doing a book that collects some of your scripts and essays and the artwork that is all the beautiful looks and sets together? The videos are magical at conveying the material, I just also think you're such a talented writer.

  13. @freyaday1989

    May 22, 2026 at 6:13 pm

    So cool that you are coming to Vancouver! I'm from Van and if you are going to go anywhere for a cool/spooky cocktail while visiting, I highly recommend Arcana!! It's got amazing apothecary vibes and real candles all over the place! It's a speakeasy hidden behind a pet psychic XD It's in Gastown <3 Also, Prophecy is another place with incredible drinks and HUGE fancy bathrooms right on Georgia street downtown! One more place I'd recommend if you're into Karaoke is SWITCH. They have private karaoke booths for large and small groups and its so insanely fun to sing your guts out there. They also sell soju shots <3 Its on Robson street. Enjoy your stay, whatever you end up doing!!! Enjoy our pretty mountain city <333

  14. @RealEsther

    May 22, 2026 at 6:13 pm

    I just want to correct the Message about Samus Aran being trans: Some old artist on the game series in 1994 said Samus was a "Newhalf", which is a japanese term/slur for trans people. This was corrected by the co-creator of Metroid as not true.

  18. @chrispyinks

    May 22, 2026 at 6:13 pm

    I'm so glad you liked the fan art! You make such a beautiful mermaid and I had so much fun drawing that piece. The look that you and the makeup and costume team put together was a joy to draw, and I'm glad the dead Arsonist gave people a little chuckle! I'm sorry I wasn't able to make the live stream (timezones), it was so cool seeing all the behind the scenes stuff and closeups of the makeup and prosthetics, they looked absolutely wicked. Also want to say thank you to you and the chat, hearing and reading all the lovely comments really made my day 🙂
    Also, making the rock in the shape of a whale is such a fun idea and I'm annoyed I didn't think of it – might have to go back and put that in XD

  20. @ToorteJDR

    May 22, 2026 at 6:13 pm

    It was a very touching video, and I talked about it to my man whose trans and really wants a kid, so the questions raised in the videoo hits close to home of course.
    About the comment "It's nihilistic and do you to apply this to your life ?" I'd say it falls short bcs… Well we ARE here, so of course the discussion is wildly different.

  25. @rubberlover666

    May 22, 2026 at 6:13 pm

    I really liked your video. As a cis het white dude who is married to someone who, like me, didn't want kids, it's funny that the pro-natalists still only have the same easily defendable arguments:
    "My kids will pay for your freeloading!" counterpoint: my taxes pay for public schools I don't send anyone to, playgrounds I don't use, child based community activities that I don't attend, etc. If you're going the "equals pequals" route then one could say it's selfish to have more than two kids as now you're just adding people to the world!
    "You want to establish a unique relationship" Counterpoint: I know sadly too many people whose parents were absolutely awful and have gone no-contact with them. You can WANT to have a kid but do you have the skills to effectively raise them? Desire and ability are two separate things.
    "You're obliged to continue you're lineage" counterpoint: I never asked to be born.
    "God wants you to!" Counterpoint: Lemmy is god and his songs never said anything about having kids!

  26. @UnlimitedApathy

    May 22, 2026 at 6:13 pm

    I think this video had the same struggle for audience as the death video for the same reasons. Your audience has aged up to a degree (I assume) , and are now largely in their 30s and 40s, children and death are thoughts that are constantly on the mind right now and very stressful to think about.

    Also I think the “child free” thing is a HUGE discussion in some subcultures but completely absent in broader culture. “Will I have kids” is a common and stressful question. “Should I have kids” is highly niche

  28. @nestormakhno9266

    May 22, 2026 at 6:13 pm

    People should have their choices but I will say if you consider yourself a leftist but refuse to have children then you should be putting a large amount of your time and money into leftist causes, at least 10% of your total income should go to supporting the left. The reason is that the right is outbreeding the left an its key to teach people when they're children, if you won't raise a leftist you should be putting your money towards leftist causes

  30. @Yin2Falcon

    May 22, 2026 at 6:13 pm

    this one got off on a wrong foot with me by just brushing away climate as mere change and already covered sufficiently elsewhere (same thing labelling it differently would've been fine)
    and then I kept waiting for adoption to at least be mentioned in the same "not the point of the video" kind of fashion – I really wanted, expected that to be explored – I don't think I've ever had expectations of a philosophy tube video before and them not be met at all – this post mortem has really helped to put that into perspective

  31. @tomasvrabec1845

    May 22, 2026 at 6:13 pm

    I tent to like your videos, but the comment sections are horrible concoctions of negativity, doom and gloom, guilt tripping and blaming, and a self feeding loop of depression and people who love to judge.

    I will have kids. No need to call me evil for saying so….

  32. @clsisman

    May 22, 2026 at 6:13 pm

    38:30 – This was me. When this episode came out, I had just a) found out I was pregant after a long time of trying and then b) had started bleeding and hadn't yet found out why. I've since stopped bleeding and found out everything is fine, so I'm going to watch the episode this weekend, but yeah, I couldn't watch at the time for obvious reasons.

  36. @Lisdodde

    May 22, 2026 at 6:13 pm

    I think when you worry about what the right decision is, you’re not actually choosing (because if there’s a right thing to do there’s only one option in a way), and according to doctor K. that means you’ll experience less meaning in your life, because you don’t feel like you’re an actor instead of a pawn. I found that an interesting thought 😊.

    I do think it’s inherently problematic that having children is a choice (even though I’m also very grateful for it), because I it has caused a lot of animosity towards children and parents and a lot of ‘they don’t deserve support because it was their own choice’. As well as pressure to be perfect at it.

    I think it’s good that people get to choose and it’s good that children only keep in contact with their parents when the relationship is actually healthy and in an ideal world only psychologically healthy and mature people with stable relationships would have children.

    But in practice there’s now a lot of children with families and broader communities that are dysfunctional in a number of ways (because their upbringing had shortcomings too) and don’t get their needs met, and a lot of people for whom the choice to do something as natural (in principle) as having and raising children feels so massive and impossible whereas it used to just happen because you got horny and irrational for a few minutes.

    And I think we’re losing the opportunity to improve our future as the human race by supporting the current people and especially the young ones in thriving and becoming better people each day, together.

    And then I see a few child-free people who are annoyed when they meet children out in the world at all, and read about kids-culture where people with children are only allowed in child-oriented restaurants, parks and parties and separate from the rest of society, and I think we’ve gone way off the rails.

    I had serious doubts before having my sons, due to all the costs for mothers and my at the time undiagnosed audhd made me suspect I’d struggle, and because they’re ND as well and the youngest has serious medical conditions it’s even harder than it usually already is. We need plenty support as a family to make them flourishing a possibility at all, preferably without our marriage collapsing under the pressure (I have hope because our first child dying after a day didn’t destroy our relationship while it very often does), but I will love my choice and I don’t think there was a true right or wrong choice to be made.

    You can’t know the future and anyone could run into bad luck. The current times aren’t very inspiring. But you can still choose to love and care for a small human if you want.

    My lovely cousin is pregnant with her second even though she’s single after she divorced her wife who suddenly wanted to be polyamorous after their shared daughter turned 2, and will soon raise to full siblings (same donor) with different family situations while living next to her ex in a house where her daughters bedroom has doors to both. It’s not going to be easy, but it’s not a bad choice imo.

    We just have to care for all people around us the best we can. It’s sad how far removed from that we’ve become as a society. F*ck the nuclear family unit as a corner stone, we need way bigger circles than that!

  41. @HumbleWooper

    May 22, 2026 at 6:13 pm

    For whatever it's worth coming from a viewer who has no connection to either the film industry or Nintendo aside from enjoying their products, I think you'd make an amazing Samus.

  42. @notlurking2128

    May 22, 2026 at 6:13 pm

    I will say, I'm a Nebula viewer and I watched the full thing in Nebula when it released. I usually rewatch on YouTube to Get Those Views In, but with this one I was genuinely too emotionally affected to feel safe rewatching it. As a disabled person I felt deeply deeply moved by the idea of 'extitential infertility' discussed in the part about Castration Movie, but watching it again would have just been too painful. This is why I think relying on numbers devalues art. This video successfully invoked feelings of sorrow and hopelessness and pain in me, which is what alot of amazing art does. But that type of content doesn't do as well, especially with a passive viewing audience who plays stuff in the background and doesn't necessarily want to engage with hard subjects while they're doing the dishes.

    Anyway it might be interesting to, in the future, include Nebula views in how well the video did.

  43. @AllyYoko

    May 22, 2026 at 6:13 pm

    This is not to minimize the transphobia. I feel like a lot of transphobia attacks must by now just read like weird Madlips. Like " You will never etc etc" and you just grade on creativity and usually get disappointed by the lack of it

  44. @hallowacko

    May 22, 2026 at 6:13 pm

    Suggestion: I came across a book called Why Live, by Helen C. Epstein. I think the thesis of the book comes down to how the alienation of Capitalism is motivating an epidemic of suicide. When I found the book, I thought of Zoraya ter Beek (the woman in the Netherlands with Autism, Depression, and BPD – things I probably all have too – who applied for medically assisted suicide and was killed at her wishes in 2024) and now I'm thinking about Tracey Thompson, the woman with Long COVID in Canada who applied for MAiD simply because of poverty. With Long COVID, she could not work, and lived alone. She said she faced a slow death waiting for disability while broke, or a quick death through MAiD. I don't know if they moved forward with it, but I hope they didn't. So yeah. And given how fascists in Germany used 'euthanasia' as a justification for genocide, and the direction the USA is going, I think this is an important topic to cover. Wouldn't be surprised if, by the time a video is made, my country is already eliminating some people from the population in a calm, orderly premeditated way. Like executions.

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