Not “Never Better to Have Been”: The Position of Moderate Anti-Natalism I. Introduction Some philosophers hold that it is morally wrong to procreate (either sometimes or always); call such view anti-natalism. Among these philosophers, David Benatar (2006) has advanced a famous anti-natalist theory by arguing that while there is a symmetry between presence of pain and presence of pleasure: (1) The presence of pain is bad; and (2) The presence of pleasure is good. (30) There is no symmetry between absence of pain and absence of pleasure: (3) The absence of pain is good even if that good is not enjoyed by anyone; but (4) The absence of pleasure is not bad unless there is somebody for whom this absence is a deprivation. (30) This is what’s usually …show more content…
So, its real meaning here is “I prefer non-existence over existence”. This is in some sense begging the question and it is not always true: although some of us may still prefer the absence of pain over the presence of pain on the basis that it means never coming into existence, some of us, especially considering the pleasure we have enjoyed or will enjoy, may well hesitate to state so (and those who hesitate to state so might even include people who have experienced or will experience considerable pain). To put it in another way, considerations of the presence of pleasure have a role in people’s evaluation of pain, and more specifically, in connection with our intuition in the procreation asymmetry, if the life of a potential person (that is, a person who could exist but does not currently exist) would be foreseeably worth living, the presence of (prospective) pleasure may undermine the preferability of the absence of pain because otherwise this potential person would never be able to experience the pleasure. One important rationale behind this undermining effect of the presence of (prospective) pleasure is that if there’s only one way (i.e. coming into existence) to acquire some pleasure, and if the pain caused by coming into existence is not miserably unacceptable (e.g. dying of genetic disease in early childhood), then the pain may be considered a sort of necessary evil and no longer act as a moral reason against bringing this potential person into existence – thus, the potential person’s preference for the absence of pain is
In “Happiness and Its Discontents” Daniel M.Haybron describes the relationship between pain and happiness. Put simply, pain doesn 't bring happiness,happiness comes from within.
The theory of hedonism is the view that pleasure is the only thing that is intrinsically valuable, thus making it so that our lives are only truly good to the extent that we are happy. The Argument from False Happiness challenges the view of the hedonist: the hedonist believes that a life is good so long as there is happiness, regardless of where the happiness comes from, whereas critics of hedonism argue that a life filled with false beliefs is worse, despite the fact that the person may still be as equally happy as someone with true beliefs. In this essay, I will show how hedonism is drastically discredited by the following argument as it is clear to see how false happiness makes a life significantly worse for the person living it: If hedonism
In Dan Marquis’ article, “Why Abortion is Immoral”, he argues that aborting a fetus is like killing a human being already been born and it deprives them of their future. Marquis leaves out the possible exceptions of abortion that includes: a threat to the mom’s life, contraceptives, and pregnancy by rape. First, I will explain Marquis’ pro-life argument in detail about his statements of why abortion is morally wrong. Like in many societies, killing an innocent human being is considered morally wrong just like in the United States. Second, I will state my objection to Marquis’ argument through examining the difference between a human being already born future compared to a potential fetus’s future. Thus, Marquis’ argument for his pro-life
... the Misfit is open to receive grace. Although the Misfit claimed that there is “no pleasure, but meanness” in life, at the end, he denies that there is any pleasure in life at all and that killing has failed to bring him happiness. Therefore, when his two partners return and reminding the Misfit of how fun is to kill, the Misfit shuts them up and says “it’s no real pleasure in life”.
Another problem is that some pleasures are more alluring than others. Pleasure does not deal with just quantity, quality is also important. The old saying, “You ...
“There is no such thing as pure pleasure; some anxiety always goes with it”- Ovid
From this point, Marquis attempts to outline common objections to anti-abortionism, and give replies in which may better support his view, by characterizing and defining situations which are commonly brought up in such arguments. Firstly, an anti-abortionist will hold that it is “prima facie seriously wrong to end the life of a baby”, which is a generally obvious position. A pro-choicer would typically respond that it is only seriously wrong to take the life of another member of the human society, which refers to active members and social beings in a community. This leads to a point where it is commonly seen that anti-abortionists hold too narrow of a principle, while pro-choice views are too broad. Thus, it stands that both parties must further elaborate to support their claims. Furthermore, an anti-abortionist will claim, “it is prima facie seriously wrong to end the life of a human being”. However, this do...
“The greatest evil is physical pain.” Saint Augustine understood that experiencing pain is horrific, and most would agree. However, it is perhaps emotional pain, rather than physical, that causes the most damage. Whether physical or emotional, painful experiences are upsetting at best, and in severe cases, they can be life-changing. Pain is a feeling of distress that is often an underlying problem or symptom of an illness.
Mills, Claudia. "Are There Morally Problematic Reasons for Having Children?." Philosophy and Public Policy Quarterly 25.4 (2005): 2-9. Philosophy and Public Policy Quarterly. Web. 29 Nov. 2013.
...ty to relate in a non-shallow way when pleasure is one's only concern. The Pre-Socratic Greek philosophers believed that the secret of a fulfilling life was achieved in the balance of the Apollonian and Dionysian elements of life. The same statement is hold true, to some extent, in our contemporary society where a non-excessive balance or a stand-point between pleasure and responsibility should be found to live both pleasantly and emotionally fulfilled.
middle of paper ... ... Being free of pain is something that we feel within us to be intrinsically joyful, and no reason can be used to explain further why we wish to be joyful, or in good health. These things we just sense, and even a murderer, who rejects morality on the social level, will do whatever he can to avoid the displeasures of his inner being. His sentiments, if only for himself, remain within him. “One thing can always be a reason, why another is desired.
In David Benatar's book "Better Never To Have Been The Harm of Coming Into Existence" Benatar argues for the idea that coming into existence is always a harm. Although he claims that in the end, many people will not agree with his views, Benatar offers several arguments that he uses in favor of the idea of the gradual extinction of mankind. In this paper I will be critiquing and raising an objection on an aspect of Benatar's argument that he makes in his defense of anti-natalism. Anti-natalism is the view that reproduction is often (or always) morally wrong and Benatar argues for this claim that "we ought to not reproduce."
1) “The act that causes the greatest balance of pleasure over pain for the whole group
...attainment of happiness is oftentimes difficult, so we are morally justified in searching to essentially reduce the amount of unhappiness and pain experienced by the human beings impacted by some of our actions. According to Mill, the absence of pleasure is only acceptable when it is for the greater good of humanity.
The word pleasure means a state of enjoying, satisfaction, sex… When I first think about it, I think as it is a way of having fun from something simple. I don't think pleasure is like passion. It doesn't have to mean you a lot. It isn't a wish or a goal or a life time wish. It is just finding joy from something simple and good enough to satisfy you. I concerned about it because in my mind the first definition that came up to my mind was sex. I was prejudiced about this word. But why should I be? That's why I chose it. I pushed myself a bit to do my search with pleasure. If we don't know exactly what is pleasure means we can concerned about it. Unknown makes fears and fears make us prejudice. We need facts to believe and find out our truths. I take a risk at least for me so my journey began.