sentences.text: The Voluntary Human Extinction Movement, or VHEMT (pronounced " vehement "), is a movement which calls for the voluntary self-extinction of the human species.
sentences.text: The
sentences.text: Voluntary
sentences.text: Human
sentences.text: Extinction
sentences.text: Movement
sentences.text: ,
sentences.text: or
sentences.text: VHEMT
sentences.text: (
sentences.text: pronounced
sentences.text: "
sentences.text: vehement
sentences.text: "
sentences.text: )
sentences.text: ,
sentences.text: is
sentences.text: a
sentences.text: movement
sentences.text: which
sentences.text: calls
sentences.text: for
sentences.text: the
sentences.text: voluntary
sentences.text: self-extinction
sentences.text: of
sentences.text: the
sentences.text: human
sentences.text: species
sentences.text: .
sentences.text: The basic concept behind VHEMT is the belief that the Earth would be better off without humans, and as such, humans should refuse to breed.
sentences.text: The
sentences.text: basic
sentences.text: concept
sentences.text: behind
sentences.text: VHEMT
sentences.text: is
sentences.text: the
sentences.text: belief
sentences.text: that
sentences.text: the
sentences.text: Earth
sentences.text: would
sentences.text: be
sentences.text: better
sentences.text: off
sentences.text: without
sentences.text: humans
sentences.text: ,
sentences.text: and
sentences.text: as
sentences.text: such
sentences.text: ,
sentences.text: humans
sentences.text: should
sentences.text: refuse
sentences.text: to
sentences.text: breed
sentences.text: .
sentences.text: However, this does not mean that they intend to prevent people from breeding, to kill anyone, or to commit suicide.
sentences.text: However
sentences.text: ,
sentences.text: this
sentences.text: does
sentences.text: not
sentences.text: mean
sentences.text: that
sentences.text: they
sentences.text: intend
sentences.text: to
sentences.text: prevent
sentences.text: people
sentences.text: from
sentences.text: breeding
sentences.text: ,
sentences.text: to
sentences.text: kill
sentences.text: anyone
sentences.text: ,
sentences.text: or
sentences.text: to
sentences.text: commit
sentences.text: suicide
sentences.text: .
sentences.text: This last point is illustrated in their motto, " May we live long and die out ".
sentences.text: This
sentences.text: last
sentences.text: point
sentences.text: is
sentences.text: illustrated
sentences.text: in
sentences.text: their
sentences.text: motto
sentences.text: ,
sentences.text: "
sentences.text: May
sentences.text: we
sentences.text: live
sentences.text: long
sentences.text: and
sentences.text: die
sentences.text: out
sentences.text: "
sentences.text: .
sentences.text: VHEMT recognizes two levels of support:
sentences.text: VHEMT
sentences.text: recognizes
sentences.text: two
sentences.text: levels
sentences.text: of
sentences.text: support
sentences.text: :
sentences.text: VHEMT does not request participants to declare which type of member they are, nor does the movement require the choice to be implicitly made.
sentences.text: VHEMT
sentences.text: does
sentences.text: not
sentences.text: request
sentences.text: participants
sentences.text: to
sentences.text: declare
sentences.text: which
sentences.text: type
sentences.text: of
sentences.text: member
sentences.text: they
sentences.text: are
sentences.text: ,
sentences.text: nor
sentences.text: does
sentences.text: the
sentences.text: movement
sentences.text: require
sentences.text: the
sentences.text: choice
sentences.text: to
sentences.text: be
sentences.text: implicitly
sentences.text: made
sentences.text: .
sentences.text: There has been some media coverage of the ideas of Knight and of VHEMT: in 2001, Knight appeared on Hannity &amp; Colmes to present VHEMT's ideology.
sentences.text: There
sentences.text: has
sentences.text: been
sentences.text: some
sentences.text: media
sentences.text: coverage
sentences.text: of
sentences.text: the
sentences.text: ideas
sentences.text: of
sentences.text: Knight
sentences.text: and
sentences.text: of
sentences.text: VHEMT
sentences.text: :
sentences.text: in
sentences.text: 2001
sentences.text: ,
sentences.text: Knight
sentences.text: appeared
sentences.text: on
sentences.text: Hannity
sentences.text: &amp;
sentences.text: Colmes
sentences.text: to
sentences.text: present
sentences.text: VHEMT
sentences.text: 's
sentences.text: ideology
sentences.text: .
sentences.text: On the program, he stated that " as long as there's one breeding pair of Homo sapiens, there's too great a threat to the biosphere ".
sentences.text: On
sentences.text: the
sentences.text: program
sentences.text: ,
sentences.text: he
sentences.text: stated
sentences.text: that
sentences.text: "
sentences.text: as
sentences.text: long
sentences.text: as
sentences.text: there
sentences.text: 's
sentences.text: one
sentences.text: breeding
sentences.text: pair
sentences.text: of
sentences.text: Homo
sentences.text: sapiens
sentences.text: ,
sentences.text: there
sentences.text: 's
sentences.text: too
sentences.text: great
sentences.text: a
sentences.text: threat
sentences.text: to
sentences.text: the
sentences.text: biosphere
sentences.text: "
sentences.text: .
sentences.text: He also expressed no hope for voluntary human extinction, but stated that " it is the right thing to do ".
sentences.text: He
sentences.text: also
sentences.text: expressed
sentences.text: no
sentences.text: hope
sentences.text: for
sentences.text: voluntary
sentences.text: human
sentences.text: extinction
sentences.text: ,
sentences.text: but
sentences.text: stated
sentences.text: that
sentences.text: "
sentences.text: it
sentences.text: is
sentences.text: the
sentences.text: right
sentences.text: thing
sentences.text: to
sentences.text: do
sentences.text: "
sentences.text: .
sentences.text: Knight was also interviewed by MSNBC's Tucker Carlson, during which he debated with the host on the merits of the movement.
sentences.text: Knight
sentences.text: was
sentences.text: also
sentences.text: interviewed
sentences.text: by
sentences.text: MSNBC
sentences.text: 's
sentences.text: Tucker
sentences.text: Carlson
sentences.text: ,
sentences.text: during
sentences.text: which
sentences.text: he
sentences.text: debated
sentences.text: with
sentences.text: the
sentences.text: host
sentences.text: on
sentences.text: the
sentences.text: merits
sentences.text: of
sentences.text: the
sentences.text: movement
sentences.text: .
sentences.text: Knight stressed the movement's peaceful, nonviolent goals and reiterated that the movement's motivation is environmental protection.
sentences.text: Knight
sentences.text: stressed
sentences.text: the
sentences.text: movement
sentences.text: 's
sentences.text: peaceful
sentences.text: ,
sentences.text: nonviolent
sentences.text: goals
sentences.text: and
sentences.text: reiterated
sentences.text: that
sentences.text: the
sentences.text: movement
sentences.text: 's
sentences.text: motivation
sentences.text: is
sentences.text: environmental
sentences.text: protection
sentences.text: .
sentences.text: VHEMT spreads its message through the Internet, thus reaching mainly wealthier nations.
sentences.text: VHEMT
sentences.text: spreads
sentences.text: its
sentences.text: message
sentences.text: through
sentences.text: the
sentences.text: Internet
sentences.text: ,
sentences.text: thus
sentences.text: reaching
sentences.text: mainly
sentences.text: wealthier
sentences.text: nations
sentences.text: .
sentences.text: A few of these countries already have fertility rates below the replacement rate and are thus already trending towards " human extinction ", or at least a reduced population.
sentences.text: A
sentences.text: few
sentences.text: of
sentences.text: these
sentences.text: countries
sentences.text: already
sentences.text: have
sentences.text: fertility
sentences.text: rates
sentences.text: below
sentences.text: the
sentences.text: replacement
sentences.text: rate
sentences.text: and
sentences.text: are
sentences.text: thus
sentences.text: already
sentences.text: trending
sentences.text: towards
sentences.text: "
sentences.text: human
sentences.text: extinction
sentences.text: "
sentences.text: ,
sentences.text: or
sentences.text: at
sentences.text: least
sentences.text: a
sentences.text: reduced
sentences.text: population
sentences.text: .
sentences.text: However, according to VHEMT, wealthier nations have the largest impact on world resources.
sentences.text: However
sentences.text: ,
sentences.text: according
sentences.text: to
sentences.text: VHEMT
sentences.text: ,
sentences.text: wealthier
sentences.text: nations
sentences.text: have
sentences.text: the
sentences.text: largest
sentences.text: impact
sentences.text: on
sentences.text: world
sentences.text: resources
sentences.text: .
sentences.text: Transhumanists and other critics reject the VHEMT assumption that humans have ceased to be a part of nature.
sentences.text: Transhumanists
sentences.text: and
sentences.text: other
sentences.text: critics
sentences.text: reject
sentences.text: the
sentences.text: VHEMT
sentences.text: assumption
sentences.text: that
sentences.text: humans
sentences.text: have
sentences.text: ceased
sentences.text: to
sentences.text: be
sentences.text: a
sentences.text: part
sentences.text: of
sentences.text: nature
sentences.text: .
sentences.text: Instead they argue that nature has, through humanity, become conscious and self-reflective for the first time, and that it is inconsistent for those who claim to value the biosphere to seek to extinguish one of its creations.
sentences.text: Instead
sentences.text: they
sentences.text: argue
sentences.text: that
sentences.text: nature
sentences.text: has
sentences.text: ,
sentences.text: through
sentences.text: humanity
sentences.text: ,
sentences.text: become
sentences.text: conscious
sentences.text: and
sentences.text: self-reflective
sentences.text: for
sentences.text: the
sentences.text: first
sentences.text: time
sentences.text: ,
sentences.text: and
sentences.text: that
sentences.text: it
sentences.text: is
sentences.text: inconsistent
sentences.text: for
sentences.text: those
sentences.text: who
sentences.text: claim
sentences.text: to
sentences.text: value
sentences.text: the
sentences.text: biosphere
sentences.text: to
sentences.text: seek
sentences.text: to
sentences.text: extinguish
sentences.text: one
sentences.text: of
sentences.text: its
sentences.text: creations
sentences.text: .
sentences.text: Furthermore, as transhumanist Nick Bostrom has argued, only humanity is in a position to avert existential risks to the biosphere, such as asteroid impact.
sentences.text: Furthermore
sentences.text: ,
sentences.text: as
sentences.text: transhumanist
sentences.text: Nick
sentences.text: Bostrom
sentences.text: has
sentences.text: argued
sentences.text: ,
sentences.text: only
sentences.text: humanity
sentences.text: is
sentences.text: in
sentences.text: a
sentences.text: position
sentences.text: to
sentences.text: avert
sentences.text: existential
sentences.text: risks
sentences.text: to
sentences.text: the
sentences.text: biosphere
sentences.text: ,
sentences.text: such
sentences.text: as
sentences.text: asteroid
sentences.text: impact
sentences.text: .
text: The Voluntary Human Extinction Movement, or VHEMT (pronounced " vehement "), is a movement which calls for the voluntary self-extinction of the human species. The basic concept behind VHEMT is the belief that the Earth would be better off without humans, and as such, humans should refuse to breed. However, this does not mean that they intend to prevent people from breeding, to kill anyone, or to commit suicide. This last point is illustrated in their motto, " May we live long and die out ". VHEMT recognizes two levels of support: VHEMT does not request participants to declare which type of member they are, nor does the movement require the choice to be implicitly made. There has been some media coverage of the ideas of Knight and of VHEMT: in 2001, Knight appeared on Hannity &amp; Colmes to present VHEMT's ideology. On the program, he stated that " as long as there's one breeding pair of Homo sapiens, there's too great a threat to the biosphere ". He also expressed no hope for voluntary human extinction, but stated that " it is the right thing to do ". Knight was also interviewed by MSNBC's Tucker Carlson, during which he debated with the host on the merits of the movement. Knight stressed the movement's peaceful, nonviolent goals and reiterated that the movement's motivation is environmental protection. VHEMT spreads its message through the Internet, thus reaching mainly wealthier nations. A few of these countries already have fertility rates below the replacement rate and are thus already trending towards " human extinction ", or at least a reduced population. However, according to VHEMT, wealthier nations have the largest impact on world resources. Transhumanists and other critics reject the VHEMT assumption that humans have ceased to be a part of nature. Instead they argue that nature has, through humanity, become conscious and self-reflective for the first time, and that it is inconsistent for those who claim to value the biosphere to seek to extinguish one of its creations. Furthermore, as transhumanist Nick Bostrom has argued, only humanity is in a position to avert existential risks to the biosphere, such as asteroid impact.