Which particular future people will exist is highly dependent upon the conditions under which we and our descendents procreate, with the slightest difference in the conditions of conception being sufficient, in a particular case, to insure the creation of a different future person. This fact forms the basis of a surprising argument, discovered independently by Robert M. Adams, Derek Parfit, and Thomas Schwartz to the effect that we have no moral obligation to future generations – beyond, at most, the next few, to promote their well-being. Are we obligated to practice controlled growth policies in order to bring about better living conditions for future people?
