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Better Never To Have Been Believed: Benatar On The Harm Of Existence

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  • Brown, Campbell

Abstract

In Better Never to Have Been, David Benatar argues that existence is always a harm (Benatar 2006: 18–59). His argument, in brief, is that this follows from a theory of personal good which we ought to accept because it best explains several ‘asymmetries’. I shall argue here (a) that Benatar's theory suffers from a defect which was already widely known to afflict similar theories, and (b) that the main asymmetry he discusses is better explained in a way which allows that existence is often not a harm.

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  • Brown, Campbell, 2011. "Better Never To Have Been Believed: Benatar On The Harm Of Existence," Economics and Philosophy, Cambridge University Press, vol. 27(1), pages 45-52, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:cup:ecnphi:v:27:y:2011:i:01:p:45-52_00
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