• Better Never to Have Been

  • The Harm of Coming into Existence
  • By: David Benatar
  • Narrated by: Dennis Kleinman
  • Length: 7 hrs and 26 mins
  • 4.0 out of 5 stars (11 ratings)

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Better Never to Have Been

By: David Benatar
Narrated by: Dennis Kleinman
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Publisher's summary

Most people believe that they were either benefited or at least not harmed by being brought into existence. Thus, if they ever do reflect on whether they should bring others into existence—rather than having children without even thinking about whether they should—they presume that they do them no harm. Better Never to Have Been challenges these assumptions. David Benatar argues that coming into existence is always a serious harm. Those who never exist cannot be deprived. However, by coming into existence one does suffer quite serious harms that could not have befallen one had one not come into existence. Drawing on the relevant psychological literature, the author shows that there are a number of well-documented features of human psychology that explain why people systematically overestimate the quality of their lives and why they are thus resistant to the suggestion that they were seriously harmed by being brought into existence. The author then argues for the "anti-natal" view—that it is always wrong to have children—and he shows that combining the anti-natal view with common pro-choice views about fetal moral status yield a "pro-death" view about abortion. Although counter-intuitive for many, that implication is defended, not least by showing that it solves many conundrums of moral theory about population.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2006 David Benatar (P)2023 Tantor

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one of my favorite books

someone had to say it! one of my favorite books and so happy it’s on audible too! :)

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pro tip

learn other words. using the same words over and over gets really old really fast.

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very interesting read

Such an interesting worldview very well defended. Not totally convinced as of yet but I'm sure I will think about this for the future and will listen a couple more times to really understand the arguments. Fantastic read

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Thorough

physical book is easier to follow. Audiobook is much easier to digest after chapter two

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Intellectually underwhelming

An underwhelming exercise in rhetorical legalese: ahistorical and complacent. The viewpoint on human misery is not differentiated by class or region of the world.Meh.

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