August 24th 2024.
Les Knight, a 77-year-old man, didn't come to the realization overnight that he wanted humanity to go extinct. His journey towards this belief began in the 1970s when he was a college student in Portland, Oregon. Being someone who deeply cared about the environment, Knight joined his local chapter of Zero Population Growth without hesitation.
For Knight, it was a no-brainer. The 1970s were a time when people were becoming more aware of the impact of human activities on the planet. Knight saw the destruction that humans were causing and he couldn't help but think that the best solution for Earth's biosphere would be for our species to go extinct. This realization came from a place of love and concern for the environment.
As Knight pursued a career as a high school substitute teacher, his belief in the voluntary extinction of humans only grew stronger. He saw how human overpopulation was the root cause of many environmental issues, including climate change. This led him to name his belief the Voluntary Human Extinction Movement, which has since become a loose network of individuals who share the same belief.
Knight explains that the name of the movement evolved over time, with the addition of "Voluntary" in the late 1980s to clarify that it does not support violent methods like mass murder or forced birth control. He also notes that the idea of human extinction was the main cause, and he simply called it a "movement" in the hopes of finding others who shared his belief.
Knight's deep admiration for nature and his state of Oregon, which had suffered from large-scale deforestation in the past, further strengthened his belief. He also had a strong aversion towards the war in Vietnam and did everything in his power to avoid being drafted. Luckily, he was sent to Germany and was able to escape after two years. This was in 1970, a time when the issues of human overpopulation and environmentalism were closely linked.
In conclusion, Les Knight's belief in the voluntary extinction of humans may seem extreme to some, but it stems from a place of love and concern for the environment. His journey towards this belief began in the 1970s and has since evolved into a movement that aims to bring awareness to the devastating effects of human overpopulation on the planet.
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