Tuesday, November 6, 2018

Accidents of Birth


We, and what we have, are all accidents of birth. 
  • Our biology is a consequence of who our parents are and the conditions under which we developed before being born (including whether we were conceived), which are all accidents. 
  • The community of our citizenship depends on where we were born and/or the citizenship of our parents at the time we were born, which are all accidents. 
  • The economic and social trajectories of our lives are dependent on the economic and social status of our parents, which is an accident of our birth. 
  • The limits and opportunities in our physical environment are a result of where and when we live, which is an accident of our birth.

All those accidents, and more, have resulted in one undeniable fact of our existence: we are all human. As such, we are among the starting conditions for future accidents, including:
  • How long we and others live.
  • How well we and others live.
  • Environments that people and other creatures live in.
  • And, of course, future people.

As a consequence, we are unique, but no more special than anyone else.