Document Type : Research Paper
Author
Student
Abstract
This article provides a systematic and logical analysis of David Benatar’s anti-natalist perspective and its relation to the question of life’s meaning. The aim of the study is to examine the logical and ethical foundations of Benatar’s argument concerning the “badness of coming into existence” and to critique its implications for reproductive ethics and the meaning of life. The research method is descriptive–analytical, drawing on Benatar’s primary works and his critics to explore the logical structure of the “asymmetry between pleasure and pain” argument. Relying on an analytical and objectivist approach, Benatar considers life to be fundamentally devoid of positive value and views birth as a harmful event. The asymmetry between pleasure and pain, the low quality of human life, psychological optimism and self-deception, and the distinction between the value of beginning life and continuing it constitute the core elements of Benatar’s reasoning. Although Benatar’s logical argument for the asymmetry between pleasure and pain is formally valid, his improper transition from descriptive “is” statements to prescriptive “ought” statements undermines the final coherence of his logic. Despite its internal consistency, Benatar’s reasoning remains logically and ontologically insufficient and lacks realism.
Keywords
Main Subjects
)