David Benatar - The Human Predicament: A Candid Guide to Life’s Biggest Questions
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David Benatar here offers a substantial, but not unmitigated, pessimism about the central questions of human existence. He argues that while our lives can have some meaning, we are ultimately the insignificant beings that we fear we might be. He maintains that the quality of life, although less bad for some than for others, leaves much to be desired in even the best cases. Worse, death is generally not a solution; in fact, it exacerbates rather than mitigates our cosmic meaninglessness. While it can release us from suffering, it imposes another cost - annihilation. This state of affairs has nuanced implications for how we should think about many things, including immortality and suicide, and how we should think about the possibility of deeper meaning in our lives. Ultimately, this thoughtful, provocative, and deeply candid treatment of lifes big questions will interest anyone who has contemplated why we are here, and what the answer means for how we should live.
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Table of Contents
Title Page
Copyright Page
A Readers Guide
1. Introduction
Lifes big questions
Pessimism and optimism
The human predicament and the animal predicament
To tell or not to tell?
Lifes big questions
Pessimism and optimism
The human predicament and the animal predicament
To tell or not to tell?
2. Meaning
The (somewhat) good news
Meaning sub specie hominis
Meaning sub specie communitatis
Meaning sub specie humanitatis
Conclusion
Meaning sub specie hominis
Meaning sub specie communitatis
Meaning sub specie humanitatis
Conclusion
The (somewhat) good news
Meaning sub specie hominis
Meaning sub specie communitatis
Meaning sub specie humanitatis
Conclusion
Meaning sub specie hominis
Meaning sub specie communitatis
Meaning sub specie humanitatis
Conclusion
3. Meaninglessness
The bad news
The theistic gambit
Natures purposes
Scarce value
Discounting the cosmic perspective
Focusing on terrestrial meaning
Sour grapes and varieties of meaning worth wanting
Conclusion
The bad news
The theistic gambit
Natures purposes
Scarce value
Discounting the cosmic perspective
Focusing on terrestrial meaning
Sour grapes and varieties of meaning worth wanting
Conclusion
4. Quality
The meaning and the quality of life
Why peoples judgments about the quality of their lives are unreliable The poor quality of human life
Why there is more bad than good
Secular optimistic theodicies
Conclusion
The meaning and the quality of life
Why peoples judgments about the quality of their lives are unreliable The poor quality of human life
Why there is more bad than good
Secular optimistic theodicies
Conclusion
5. Death
Is death bad?
Hedonism (and its discontents)
The deprivation account
Annihilation
When is death bad for the person who dies?
The symmetry argument
Taking Epicureans seriously?
Hedonism (and its discontents)
The deprivation account
Annihilation
When is death bad for the person who dies?
The symmetry argument
Taking Epicureans seriously?
How bad are different deaths?
Living in the shadow of death
Is death bad?
Hedonism (and its discontents)
The deprivation account
Annihilation
When is death bad for the person who dies?
The symmetry argument
Taking Epicureans seriously?
Hedonism (and its discontents)
The deprivation account
Annihilation
When is death bad for the person who dies?
The symmetry argument
Taking Epicureans seriously?
How bad are different deaths?
Living in the shadow of death
6. Immortality
Delusions and fantasies of immortality
Sour grapes
Conclusion
Delusions and fantasies of immortality
Sour grapes
Conclusion
7. Suicide
Responding to common arguments against suicide
Suicide as murder
Suicide as irrational
Suicide as unnatural
Suicide as cowardice
Interests of others
The finality of death
Suicide as murder
Suicide as irrational
Suicide as unnatural
Suicide as cowardice
Interests of others
The finality of death
Broadening the case for suicide
A more accurate assessment of lifes quality
Does meaninglessness in life warrant suicide?
Restoring an individuals control
A more accurate assessment of lifes quality
Does meaninglessness in life warrant suicide?
Restoring an individuals control
Conclusion
Responding to common arguments against suicide
Suicide as murder
Suicide as irrational
Suicide as unnatural
Suicide as cowardice
Interests of others
The finality of death
Suicide as murder
Suicide as irrational
Suicide as unnatural
Suicide as cowardice
Interests of others
The finality of death
Broadening the case for suicide
A more accurate assessment of lifes quality
Does meaninglessness in life warrant suicide?
Restoring an individuals control
A more accurate assessment of lifes quality
Does meaninglessness in life warrant suicide?
Restoring an individuals control
Conclusion
8. Conclusion
The human predicament in a nutshell
Pessimism and optimism (again)
Responding to the human predicament
The human predicament in a nutshell
Pessimism and optimism (again)
Responding to the human predicament
Notes
Bibliography
Index
THE HUMAN PREDICAMENT
THE HUMAN PREDICAMENT
A Candid Guide to Lifes Biggest Questions
David Benatar
Oxford University Press is a department of the University of Oxford. It furthers the Universitys objective of excellence in research, scholarship, and education by publishing worldwide. Oxford is a registered trademark of Oxford University Press in the UK and certain other countries.
Published in the United States of America by Oxford University Press 198 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10016, United States of America.
Oxford University Press 2017
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, without the prior permission in writing of Oxford University Press, or as expressly permitted by law, by license, or under terms agreed with the appropriate reproduction rights organization. Inquiries concerning reproduction outside the scope of the above should be sent to the Rights Department, Oxford University Press, at the address above.
You must not circulate this work in any other form and you must impose this same condition on any acquirer.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Benatar, David, author.
Title: The human predicament : a candid guide to lifes biggest questions / by David Benatar.
Description: New York : Oxford University Press, 2017.
Identifiers: LCCN 2016048629 | ISBN 9780190633813 (hardcover : alk. paper) | eISBN 9780190633837
Subjects: LCSH: Life. | Meaning (Philosophy)
Classification: LCC BD435 .B44 2017 | DDC 128dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2016048629
To family and friends, who palliate my predicament.
CONTENTS
A Readers Guide
1. Introduction
Lifes big questions
Pessimism and optimism
The human predicament and the animal predicament
To tell or not to tell?
2. Meaning
The (somewhat) good news
Meaning sub specie hominis
Meaning sub specie communitatis
Meaning sub specie humanitatis
Conclusion
3. Meaninglessness
The bad news
The theistic gambit
Natures purposes
Scarce value
Discounting the cosmic perspective
Focusing on terrestrial meaning
Sour grapes and varieties of meaning worth wanting
Conclusion
4. Quality
The meaning and the quality of life
Why peoples judgments about the quality of their lives are unreliable The poor quality of human life
Why there is more bad than good
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