Preface
A reader's guide
1. Introduction
2. Meaning
3. Meaninglessness
4. Quality
5. Death
6. Immortality
7. Suicide
8. Conclusion
David Benatar is Professor of Philosophy at University of Cape Town, South Africa. He is the author of Better Never to Have Been: The Harm of Coming Into Existence (2006) and Debating Procreation: Is it Wrong to Reproduce? (2015).
"The Human Predicament is worth reading for its often insightful
discussion of the practical implications of accepting the broad
pessimistic contention that all lives are bad when judged by any
relevant measure." -- David Matheson, Carleton University, Canada,
The Philosophical Quarterly
"What thinking person doesn't care about the (possible) meaning and
quality of life, the nature and disvalue of death, and the option
of suicide? David Benatar addresses these and other engaging and
important topics in this well-argued book. The quality of the
writing is about as high as any philosophy I can remember reading:
short, clear sentences, with not a word wasted or misplaced. I do
not see the human predicament as pessimistically as David Benatar
does;
but I found myself disagreeing less than I expected to -- for
example, in his sensitive and probing discussion of suicide."
--David DeGrazia, George Washington University
"David Benatar's new book, The Human Predicament, offers
justifiably pessimistic analyses of some of the most interesting
and important issues of human existence, including birth,
suffering, death, and suicide. Benatar's analyses are as
beautifully crafted and written as they are scholarly and
thoughtful. The Human Predicament is a grand work of philosophy,
but contains important insights for many of the social and life
sciences, including
psychology, sociology, biology, as well as to medicine and law. Not
only will I recommend this book to my colleagues and graduate and
undergraduate students, but I also will recommend it to my family
and friends. The Human
Predicament is a stunning achievement by a deeply compassionate
man." -- Todd Shackelford, Distinguished Professor and Chair of
Psychology, Oakland University
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