The Human Predicament
A Candid Guide to Life's Biggest Questions
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 10692082 |
|---|---|
| Authors | David Matheson (0000-0002-3695-3167, Carleton University, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2018 |
| Volume | 68 |
| Issue | 272 |
| Pages | 639-641 |
| Publication date | 2018-07-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | The Philosophical Quarterly (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0031-8094 • E-ISSN: 1467-9213 |
| Publisher | Oxford University Press (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1093/pq/pqx045 |
| OpenAlex | W2749192079 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 6 |
In his earlier contribution to the philosophy of life, Better Never To Have Been (OUP, 2006) Benatar presented two core arguments. According to his ‘asymmetry’ argument, whereas to begin living (or ‘to come into existence’) is always partly harmful and partly beneficial, not to begin living is never even partly harmful; and if this is so, then it is always better not to begin living than to begin living. According to his quality of life argument, the quality of every (human) life is poor. Once we discount quality of life judgments that are unduly influenced by our distorting optimistic biases, the argument went, we can see clearly that the amount, distribution, and axiological weight of every life's positive qualities (e.g., pleasure, desire-satisfaction, the goods on which ‘objective list theories’ focus) are swamped by the amount, distribution, and weight of its negative qualities (e.g., pain, desire-frustration, and objective list bads). The asymmetry argument plays no important role in Benatar's latest contribution. But the quality of life argument does: with minor modifications, it serves as one main element of the overall case that Benatar makes in The Human Predicament for his broadest pessimistic contention yet. Simply put, this contention is that, judged by any relevant measure, all lives are bad in the sense that they are regrettable or unfortunate—instances of a ‘tragic predicament’.
Aesthetics · Argument (complex analysis) · Epistemology · Focus (optics) · Pessimism · Pleasure · Quality (philosophy) · Sociology · Free Will and Agency · Medicine · Philosophical Ethics and Theory · Philosophy · Psychology · Social Psychology · Theology and Philosophy of Evil
O Mal Da Morte No Pessimismo
‘Creatures of a Day’
Death as a fact of life
Why would very bad lives be worth continuing
Meaning in Life as the Comprehensive Value. Towards a Better Understanding of the Relationship Between Meaningfulness and Morality
Individual Vices and Institutional Failings as Drivers of Vulnerabilisation
| Unique citing works | 6 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 1 |
| Citation span | 2020 - 2024 (5) |
| Citation velocity | recent |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 1 |