The most important effect of parenting on productivity is left out here. A whole new person is created, meaning a whole additional person’s worth of productivity! And with only a two decade or so delay. Not to mention a whole additional person’s worth of happiness, and of combating demographic decline. So while it may be true that in the short term additional children decrease productivity, in the long term (which is what we as EAs should be caring most about) each additional child massively increases productivity.
But they could grow up to be an influencer, a patent troll, or even a lawyer. </sarcasm>
Seriously though, productivity is not inherently good, so there would need to be an adjustment to account for newborns who end up being productive in ways that are net harmful or only weakly positive. Meanwhile, the directional impact of the parent’s productivity can be known with much more reliability.
Except that all psychological traits are heritable, so offspring of smart, conscientious, virtuous EAs are likely to be somewhat smarter, more conscientious, and more virtuous than average offspring.
The most important effect of parenting on productivity is left out here. A whole new person is created, meaning a whole additional person’s worth of productivity! And with only a two decade or so delay. Not to mention a whole additional person’s worth of happiness, and of combating demographic decline. So while it may be true that in the short term additional children decrease productivity, in the long term (which is what we as EAs should be caring most about) each additional child massively increases productivity.
But they could grow up to be an influencer, a patent troll, or even a lawyer. </sarcasm>
Seriously though, productivity is not inherently good, so there would need to be an adjustment to account for newborns who end up being productive in ways that are net harmful or only weakly positive. Meanwhile, the directional impact of the parent’s productivity can be known with much more reliability.
Jason—fair point.
Except that all psychological traits are heritable, so offspring of smart, conscientious, virtuous EAs are likely to be somewhat smarter, more conscientious, and more virtuous than average offspring.