“Creating new people, by having babies, is so much a part of human life that it is rarely thought even to require a justification. Indeed, most people do not even think about whether they should or should not make a baby. They just make one. In other words, procreation is usually the consequence of sex rather than the result of a decision to bring people into existence. Those who do indeed decide to have a child might do so for any number of reasons, but among these reasons cannot be the interests of the potential child. One can never have a child for that child’s sake.”
Quote by David Benatar
Work
Better Never to Have Been: The Harm of Coming Into Existence
This book delves into the philosophical debate regarding the intrinsic value of existence, presenting a comprehensive examination of the potential harms associated with being born and living. It challenges conventional views on life's worth and its moral implications. more
Author
David Benatar
David Benatar (born December 8, 1966) is a South African philosopher and professor at the University of Cape Town, known for his controversial anti-natalist views. He argues that bringing a child into existence is morally wrong because life inevitably involves suffering, and non-existence avoids all harm. His seminal work, Better Never to Have Been: The Harm of Coming into Existence (2006), sparked global debate on the ethics of procreation. Benatar's research covers applied ethics, bioethics, and metaphysics, and he is a prominent figure in population ethics. Despite criticism for pessimism, he maintains his arguments are based on logical reasoning. He also authored The Second Sexism (2012) and Human Well-Being and Human Life (2018). more
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