DOCSLIB.ORG

Sensocentrismo.-Ciencia-Y-Ética.Pdf

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Sensocentrismo.-Ciencia-Y-Ética.Pdf SENSOCENTRISMO CIENCIA Y ÉTICA Edición: 14/08/2018 “La experiencia viene a demostrarnos, desgraciadamente, cuán largo tiempo transcurrió antes de que miráramos como semejantes a los hombres que difieren considerablemente de nosotros por su apariencia y por sus hábitos. Una de las últimas adquisiciones morales parece ser la simpatía, extendiéndose más allá de los límites de la humanidad. [...] Esta virtud, una de las más nobles con que el hombre está dotado, parece surgir incidentalmente de nuestras simpatías volviéndose más sensibles y más ampliamente difundidas, hasta que se extienden a todos los seres sintientes.” — Charles Robert Darwin - 1 - Agradecimientos Agradezco la influencia inspiradora que me brindaron a largo de la conformación del libro a Jeremías, Carlos, Pedro, Ricardo, Steven, Jesús (el filósofo, no el carpintero), Carl e Isaac. Como así también la contribución intelectual y el apoyo de Iván, David, Facundo, María B., María F., Damián, Gonzalo y tantos otros. - 2 - Prólogo Como su tapa lo indica, este es un libro sobre sensocentrismo, la consideración moral centrada en la sintiencia. Para empezar, deberemos tratar la mente, conduciéndonos a la evolución. Hace 600 millones de años aparecen las mentes en nuestro planeta. Hasta antes no había nadie al que le importara, sufriera o disfrutara, lo que sucedía, no había «punto de vista», ni emoción ni cognición. Hace 2 millones de años, un linaje de monos originarios de África comenzaría gradualmente a comunicarse oralmente, compartir información mediante ondas mecánicas, sonidos, propagables en la atmósfera gaseosa (previamente producida por primitivos organismos fotosintéticos). Adquirirían cultura, información copiándose, sobreviviendo y evolucionando a través de las sucesivas generaciones parlanchinas, desde la prehistoria, y luego también escritoras. Estos monos luego se autodenominarían humanos u Homo sapiens. Parte de esa cultura evolucionaría contrastándose con los hechos, generando conocimiento, a través del método científico. Permitiéndoles alterar tecnológicamente el entorno acorde a sus intereses, incluso mejorar las vías de transmisión y almacenamiento de la propia información, desde tintas, papeles e imprentas hasta memorias semiconductoras. Desde primitivas armas, herramientas y fogatas hasta máquinas de vapor y transbordadores espaciales. Permitiéndoles vivir cada vez más y mejor que antes. Lamentablemente, las demás mentes animales, siguen atrapadas en la lucha por la existencia. Sufren y mueren en cantidades inimaginables; enfermas, asfixiadas, perseguidas, depredadas y parasitadas. Carecen de antibióticos, vacunas, anestesia y calefacción. Para peor, son explotadas por miles de millones al año, principalmente en la ganadería, para la alimentación de estos monos omnívoros. Una cantidad superior a 20 veces su creciente población. Sin embargo, hay una esperanza para las demás mentes. A pesar del egoísmo antropocentrista de estos monos, su empatía evolucionada puede trascender los límites de su especie y a pesar de sus mentes discontinuas, como todas las demás, evolucionadas para responder únicamente a estímulos con valor adaptativo, su ciencia les permite reconocer la continuidad evolutiva entre sus mentes y las demás. - 3 - Actualmente, debido a la tecnológica agricultura que desarrollaron, pueden sobrevivir sin oprimirlos, como ya están haciendo varios de sus miembros, obteniendo nutrientes de manera alternativa. Más aún, pueden brindarles ayuda incluso cuando no son ellos quienes los oprimen, como con las víctimas humanas de catástrofes naturales. En un memorando publicado en 1979 por la Sociedad Vegana, llamaron a esta forma de vivir o filosofía, que busca excluir todas las formas de crueldad hacia los animales promoviendo el desarrollo y uso de alternativas, como veganismo. [1] En palabras del científico y divulgador Richard Dawkins: “Nuestro mundo tecnológico nos ha llevado más allá de los dictados de la naturaleza. [...] Podemos dejar atrás la crueldad y el despilfarro de la selección natural.” [2] _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ [1] Memorando De Asociación De La Sociedad Vegana http://tier-im-fokus.ch/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/memorandum.pdf [2] ¿Por Qué Estamos Aquí? - Richard Dawkins - 19:25 Y 00:22:42 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xn3CooUtGFU - 4 - Sumario Vida Y Evolución. Página 7 • Autorreplicación. Adaptación. Mente. Página 11 • Respuesta a Estímulos. • Sensibilidad. Sintiencia-mente. Moral. • Consciencia. Gradualismo. • Sufrimiento y disfrute anterior a humanos. Humanos. Página 43 • Hominización. Cultura. Revolución neolítica. • Sufrimiento y disfrute posterior a humanos. • Ciencia. Mente Discontinua. Moral adquirida. Ética. Página 115 Antropocentrismo. Página 119 Refutación de argumentos utilizados para justificar que no debemos respetar y/o ayudar a los animales no humanos sintientes: • “No son de la especie humana.” • “No tienen las capacidades cognitivas humanas o no las tienen y además nunca las tendrán.” • “Otros tampoco los respetan. Incluso quienes dicen que debemos respetarlos.” • “Es una costumbre.” • “Es legal, no tienen derechos.” • “Alguna deidad lo aprueba en alguna escritura religiosa considerada sagrada como la Biblia, el Corán.” Refutación de argumentos utilizados para justificar que debemos explotar para la alimentación a los animales no humanos sintientes: • “Lo necesitamos para estar sanos.” • “Somos omnívoros.” • “Algunos animales comen a otros, es la cadena alimenticia.” • “Es más caro alimentarse sin animales.” • “No solo los animales sentimos. Las plantas también sienten.” Refutación de argumentos utilizados para justificar que debemos explotar para la medicina a los animales no humanos sintientes: • “Experimentar en animales no humanos beneficia humanos.” Antropocentrismo ecocentrista y biocentrista. - 5 - Sensocentrismo. Página 154 Refutación de argumentos utilizados para justificar que debemos respetar y/o ayudar a los animales no humanos sintientes: • “Son seres vivos.” • “Son animales.” Refutación de argumentos utilizados para justificar que no debemos explotar a los animales no humanos sintientes para la alimentación: • “Somos herbívoros.” • “No es sano.” • “No es ecológico.” Refutación de argumentos utilizados para justificar que no debemos explotar a los animales no humanos sintientes para la medicina: • “Nunca es efectivo.” Argumento utilizado para justificar que debemos respetar a los animales no humanos sintientes: • Argumento de superposición de especies o “de casos marginales”. • Tipos. - 6 - Vida Y Evolución El Universo se originó con una Gran Explosión “Big Bang” hace unos 13.700 millones de años. A partir de partículas subatómicas se formaron átomos de hidrógeno y la gravedad los agrupó formando estrellas (como el Sol, la estrella que orbitamos), en cuyos núcleos se formaron luego los demás elementos de la tabla periódica, expulsados tras su desintegración. Estos conformarían planetas, como nuestra Tierra hace 4.500 millones de años, originalmente despoblada y seca, 500 millones de años luego formarían agua, transformándose en el caldo primigenio, donde hace 3.500 millones de años, algunos de ellos, tales como el carbono, hidrógeno, oxígeno y nitrógeno conformarían moléculas autorreplicantes, ancestras de los actuales genes, la vida había comenzado. Sus variaciones azarosas (mutaciones), entre las generaciones, originarían la evolución atravesando las ambientales presiones selectivas, y lo seguirían haciendo, de manera indirecta, dentro de complejos organismos, mediante la reproducción. La expresión de las mutaciones genéticas, repercute en el valor adaptativo, aptitud, adecuación o eficacia biológica de los organismos (la capacidad autoduplicativa o autorreplicativa, la capacidad de dejar descendencia), pudiendo aumentarlo según ciertas presiones selectivas y disminuirlo según otras. Incluso pueden exaptarse, cambiar las presiones selectivas por las que son seleccionadas. El valor adaptativo de las mutaciones puede aumentar si tienden a aumentar la supervivencia del organismo que las contiene, de los demás organismos, disminuyendo la propia supervivencia, si contienen las mismas mutaciones (altruismo parental) o si son retribucionistas (altruismo recíproco) y si tienden a aumentar la reproducción, incluso disminuyendo la supervivencia del organismo que las contiene, como la exuberante cola del pavo real atractiva para las pavas (selección sexual). Si el balance es positivo, tenderá a difundirse en la descendencia, seleccionarse, según cuan positivo sea, si es negativo, tenderá a eliminarse o reducirse, quedando vestigialmente, según cuan negativo sea. Los primeros organismos en existir fueron las bacterias, unicelulares y heterótrofas, luego aparecieron las autótrofas, los protozoos, procariotas y luego eucariotas, luego las colonias (agrupaciones de organismos unicelulares sin especialización) y los organismos multicelulares (eucariotas con especialización celular en tejidos, órganos y sistemas), autótrofos denominados plantas y heterótrofos, denominados animales. Todos los organismos somos parientes, descendientes de un mismo antepasado común, ramificados en diferentes linajes, formando un único gran árbol genealógico, el árbol de la vida. [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] - 7 - [6] [7] [8] - 8 - _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ [1] “Las variaciones, por ligeras que sean y cualquiera que sea la causa de que procedan, si son en algún grado
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Cause Animale, Luttes Sociales
    Cause animale, Ernest Cœurderoy (1825-1862), Louise Michel Souvent réduite à un régime alimentaire ou à la lubie « Plus l’homme est féroce envers la bête, (1830-1905), Marie Huot (1846-1930), Charles Gide passagère d’une époque déboussolée, la cause animale plus il est rampant devant les hommes qui (1847-1932), Élisée Reclus (1830-1905), Léon Tolstoï est de plus en plus médiatisée mais aussi instrumentalisée, le dominent. » (1828-1910), Henry Stephens Salt (1851-1939), récupérée et dépolitisée. Dans ce e anthologie, Roméo Cause animale, lu es sociales Louise Michel, 1886 Séverine (1855-1929), Octave Mirbeau (1848-1917), Bondon et Elias Boisjean explorent ses racines historiques avec des textes de pour mieux souligner le non-sens d’un engagement « Je veux ici plaider la cause d’une classe Georges Butaud (1868-1926), Sophie Zaïkowska Charles Gide, Marie Huot, (1847-1939), Louis Rimbault (1877-1949). animaliste qui se passerait d’une remise en cause du particulière de travailleurs et de salariés : classe capitalisme. Louise Michel, Octave Mirbeau, Élisée Reclus, nombreuse, car ses membres se comptent par Bien avant l’invention du concept d’antispécisme, des Louis Rimbault, Séverine, Léon Tolstoï, millions ; classe misérable, car pour obtenir de hommes et des femmes ont conjugué leurs convictions quoi ne pas mourir de faim, ils sont assuje is au socialistes et libertaires avec une sensibilité particulière Georges Butaud, Sophie Zaïkowska, travail le plus dur, à la chaîne et sous le fouet ; pour ces « autres exploités » que sont les animaux. Ernest Cœurderoy, Henry S. Salt classe qui a d’autant plus besoin de protection Dénonciation de la corrida, de la chasse, de l’élevage ou es sociales animale, lu Cause qu’elle est incapable de se défendre elle-même, Roméo Bondon et Elias Boisjean Bondon et Roméo de l’aba age industriels, défense du végétarisme… Loin n’ayant pas assez d’esprit pour se me re en d’être désuets, leurs propos témoignent de l’urgence de grève et ayant trop bonne âme pour faire une bâtir une société résolument écologiste et animaliste.
    [Show full text]
  • The Case for Not Being Born the Antinatalist Philosopher David
    The Case for Not Being Born The antinatalist philosopher David Benatar argues that it would be better if no one had children ever again. By Joshua Rothman November 27, 2017 David Benatar may be the world’s most pessimistic philosopher. An “antinatalist,” he believes that life is so bad, so painful, that human beings should stop having children for reasons of compassion. “While good people go to great lengths to spare their children from suffering, few of them seem to notice that the one (and only) guaranteed way to prevent all the suffering of their children is not to bring those children into existence in the first place,” he writes, in a 2006 book called “Better Never to Have Been: The Harm of Coming Into Existence.” In Benatar’s view, reproducing is intrinsically cruel and irresponsible—not just because a horrible fate can befall anyone, but because life itself is “permeated by badness.” In part for this reason, he thinks that the world would be a better place if sentient life disappeared altogether. For a work of academic philosophy, “Better Never to Have Been” has found an unusually wide audience. It has 3.9 stars on GoodReads, where one reviewer calls it “required reading for folks who believe that procreation is justified.” A few years ago, Nic Pizzolatto, the screenwriter behind “True Detective,” read the book and made Rust Cohle, Matthew McConaughey’s character, a nihilistic antinatalist. (“I think human consciousness is a tragic misstep in evolution,” Cohle says.) When Pizzolatto mentioned the book to the press, Benatar, who sees his own views as more thoughtful and humane than Cohle’s, emerged from an otherwise reclusive life to clarify them in interviews.
    [Show full text]
  • Critical Guide to Mill's on Liberty
    This page intentionally left blank MILL’S ON LIBERTY John Stuart Mill’s essay On Liberty, published in 1859, has had a powerful impact on philosophical and political debates ever since its first appearance. This volume of newly commissioned essays covers the whole range of problems raised in and by the essay, including the concept of liberty, the toleration of diversity, freedom of expression, the value of allowing “experiments in living,” the basis of individual liberty, multiculturalism, and the claims of minority cultural groups. Mill’s views have been fiercely contested, and they are at the center of many contemporary debates. The essays are by leading scholars, who systematically and eloquently explore Mill’s views from various per spectives. The volume will appeal to a wide range of readers including those interested in political philosophy and the history of ideas. c. l. ten is Professor of Philosophy at the National University of Singapore. His publications include Was Mill a Liberal? (2004) and Multiculturalism and the Value of Diversity (2004). cambridge critical guides Volumes published in the series thus far: Hegel’s Phenomenology of Spirit edited by dean moyar and michael quante Mill’s On Liberty edited by c. l. ten MILL’S On Liberty A Critical Guide edited by C. L. TEN National University of Singapore CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY PRESS Cambridge, New York, Melbourne, Madrid, Cape Town, Singapore, São Paulo Cambridge University Press The Edinburgh Building, Cambridge CB2 8RU, UK Published in the United States of America by Cambridge University Press, New York www.cambridge.org Information on this title: www.cambridge.org/9780521873567 © Cambridge University Press 2008 This publication is in copyright.
    [Show full text]
  • Des Carrières Militantes Animalistes Abolitionnistes. L'engagement Dans Le Groupe Lyonnais De L'association L214 Éthiq
    Des carrières militantes animalistes abolitionnistes. L’engagement dans le groupe lyonnais de l’association L214 Éthique & Animaux Mata’i Souchon To cite this version: Mata’i Souchon. Des carrières militantes animalistes abolitionnistes. L’engagement dans le groupe lyonnais de l’association L214 Éthique & Animaux. Sciences de l’Homme et Société. 2018. dumas- 01950282 HAL Id: dumas-01950282 https://dumas.ccsd.cnrs.fr/dumas-01950282 Submitted on 10 Dec 2018 HAL is a multi-disciplinary open access L’archive ouverte pluridisciplinaire HAL, est archive for the deposit and dissemination of sci- destinée au dépôt et à la diffusion de documents entific research documents, whether they are pub- scientifiques de niveau recherche, publiés ou non, lished or not. The documents may come from émanant des établissements d’enseignement et de teaching and research institutions in France or recherche français ou étrangers, des laboratoires abroad, or from public or private research centers. publics ou privés. Mata’i SOUCHON Année universitaire 2017-2018 Des carrières militantes animalistes abolitionnistes. L’engagement dans le groupe lyonnais de l’association L214 Éthique & Animaux Mémoire de recherche soutenu le 21 septembre 2018 (mention bien) Sous la direction de Montserrat EMPERADOR Version publiquement diffusable Stand d’information (Lyon, 25 juin 2016) Crédit : L214 – Éthique & Animaux Membres du jury : Montserrat EMPERADOR, Camille HAMIDI, Sandrine LÉVÊQUE Université Lumière Lyon 2 UFR d’Anthropologie, de Sociologie et de Science politique Master 2 de Science politique Parcours Sociologie politique, enquêtes et analyses des processus politiques Résumé Depuis le début des années 1990 et la parution de la traduction française de l’ouvrage de Peter Singer La Libération animale, le mouvement antispéciste s’est développé en France.
    [Show full text]
  • David Benatar, Death, and the Harm in Existence
    David Benatar, Death, and the Harm in Existence BY MICHAEL DA SILVA Anti-natalism is the philosophical position opposing procreation. It has both local and global forms; “in its local form it applies only to particular people in certain instances, in its global form, to everyone.”1 Philosopher David Benatar, an expert in applied ethics presently of the University of Cape Town, is one of the leading proponents of global anti-natalism. While Benatar’s position was initially developed in journal articles,2 his 2006 book, Better Never to Have Been: The Harm of Coming into Existence, is the most detailed account of his anti- natalist stance. It is also the leading argument for the inherent harm of existence; as its title suggests, it argues that coming into existence is always a harm. The consequences of this Utilitarian perspective are severe. Benatar argues against the moral permissibility of creating sentient beings and for a phased extinction of the human race. For Benatar, “[r]eproduction is never morally acceptable...[and s]ex can be morally acceptable only if it is not reproductive.3 Benatar’s position is extreme, but influential. While negation of his central theses would not justify unlimited procreational autonomy on its own, even limited ethical acceptance of procreation may require strong arguments against him. 1 Brake, E. & Millum, J. "Parenthood and Procreation", The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Spring 2012 Edition), Edward N. Zalta (ed.), forthcoming URL: <http://plato.stanford.edu/archives/spr2012/entries/parenthood/>. 2 I.e., Benatar, D. “Why it is Better Never to Come into Existence”, American Philosophical Quarterly 34, (1997): 345–55.
    [Show full text]
  • The Reception of Peter Singer's Theories in France
    THE RECEPTION OF PETER SINGER’S THEORIES IN FRANCE EMILIE DARDENNE (Université de Rennes II - France) Abstract Peter Singer’s views on the status of animals, the sanctity of human life, and world poverty have at- tracted both attention and intense controversy in many Western countries, including the United States, Canada, and Germany. The reactions in France to his theories are less well-known. The purpose of this paper is to present an overview of critical responses to Singer by French academics and thinkers. How have they received Singer’s contention that we must bring nonhuman animals within the sphere of moral concern? How has his claim been received according to which we must recognize that the worth of hu- man life varies? Do French scholars agree with his utilitarian views on abortion, euthanasia, infanticide, his defi nition of the term “person”? Finally, is he considered in France as a brilliant and groundbreaking ethicist, as a dangerous extremist, or somewhere in between? Key-words: Introduction Peter Singer is often introduced as one of the most infl uential philosophers alive. He is today’s foremost utilitarian. His books, translated in twenty languages, include several international best-sellers including Animal Liberation (1975), Practical Ethics (1979), Rethinking Life and Death (1994), One World (2002). His work played a major role in establishing the animal rights movement and has signifi cantly contributed to debate in the fi eld of bioethics. He is also seen as a rather unorthodox thinker, regarding his views on the status of animals. His tenet that the interests of all beings capable of suffering should be worthy of equal consideraton, whatever their species has been widely denounced for denying the sanctity of human lives.
    [Show full text]
  • APA Newsletters
    APA Newsletters Volume 05, Number 2 Spring 2006 NEWSLETTER ON TEACHING PHILOSOPHY FROM THE EDITORS, TZIPORAH KASACHKOFF & EUGENE KELLY ARTICLES STEVEN M. CAHN “Two Lives” TZIPORAH KASACHKOFF “How One Might Use ‘Two Lives’ in the Ethics Classroom” LISA CASSIDY “Advising an Undergraduate Philosophy Club” DAVID BENATAR “Teaching Ethics for Everyday” BOOK REVIEWS Steven M. Cahn: Ten Essential Texts in the Philosophy of Religion, Classics and Contemporary Issues REVIEWED BY JEROME GELLMAN John Divers: Possible Worlds REVIEWED BY JOHN NOLT Harry G. Frankfurt: On Bullshit REVIEWED BY EUGENE KELLY © 2006 by The American Philosophical Association ISSN: 1067-9464 Michael Tobias, J. Patrick Fitzgerald, and David Rothenberg, editors: A Parliament of Minds: Philosophy for the New Millenium REVIEWED BY BRUCE B. SUTTLE John Shand, editor: Fundamentals of Philosophy REVIEWED BY MARK ZELCER Peg Tittle: What If...Collected Thought Experiments in Philosophy REVIEWED BY DANIEL FERNANDEZ BOOKS RECEIVED ADDRESSES OF CONTRIBUTORS APA NEWSLETTER ON Teaching Philosophy Tziporah Kasachkoff & Eugene Kelly, Co-Editors Spring 2006 Volume 05, Number 2 He details the list of topics that he covers in the class, the LETTER FROM THE EDITORS responses he has received from students regarding the subject matter of the course, and the student assignments he gives in the course. Helpfully, Benatar has included some questions he has asked on the final examination for the course. Tziporah Kasachkoff Our third paper, by Lisa Cassidy, is entitled “Advising an The Graduate Center, CUNY, [email protected] Undergraduate Philosophy Club” and is a description of the Eugene Kelly challenges and benefits of establishing a philosophy club within New York Institute of Technology, [email protected] a college.
    [Show full text]
  • Jusqu'où Défendre Les Animaux ?
    LES CAHIERS ANTISPÉCISTES JUSQU’OÙ DÉFENDRE LES ANIMAUX ? Tom REGAN Steven BEST David CHAUVET Bernard BAERTSCHI Estiva REUS NUMÉRO 39 MAI 2017 À propos des Cahiers antispécistes Les Cahiers antispécistes sont une revue fondée en 1991. La périodicité est irrégulière. Rédaction : Brigitte Gothière, Estiva Reus, Pierre Sigler. La rédaction choisit les textes en fonction de l’intérêt qu’elle y trouve et des débats qui peuvent en découler, mais les opinions qui y sont exprimées n’engagent que leurs auteurs. La revue ne fonctionne pas sur le principe de soumission spontanée de textes par des auteurs qui seraient ensuite acceptés ou refusés. Site : cahiers-antispécistes.org Mail : [email protected] FaceBook. Les Cahiers antispécistes publient quotidiennement des informations sur la question animale sur leur page Facebook. Se procurer Les Cahiers antispécistes (version papier) Le n°39 des Cahiers antispécistes (de même que le n°35) n’a pas été édité en version papier. Tous les autres numéros ont été imprimés mais certains sont épuisés. Les anciens numéros restants sont gérés par la boutique en ligne de L214. Certains peuvent être directement commandés sur https://boutique.l214.com/36-revues. Si vous cherchez des numéros plus anciens écrire à [email protected] pour savoir s’ils sont encore disponibles. Les Cahiers antispécistes n°39, mai 2017 1 Sommaire Présentation du numéro 39 3 La Rédaction Comment justifier la violence 7 Tom Regan Paralysie du pacifisme 13 Une défense de l’action directe militante et de la « violence » Steven
    [Show full text]
  • Wildlife Rights and Human Obligations
    View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by Central Archive at the University of Reading Wildlife Rights and Human Obligations A Thesis Submitted for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Department of Philosophy Julius Kapembwa June 2017 DECLARATION I confirm that this is my own work and the use of materials from other sources has been properly and fully acknowledged. Julius Kapembwa __________________ i ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS A look back at early drafts of some chapters in this thesis reminds me how easy it is to underestimate my debt to Brad Hooker and Elaine Beadle—my supervisors—for the state of the finished thesis. With their intellectual guidance and moral support, which sometimes extended beyond my research, my supervisors helped me settle with relative ease into my research. My supervisors will surely be my models for fairness, firmness, and professionalism in any supervision work I will undertake in the future. I was fortunate to have presented my thesis work-in-progress on five occasions in the Department of Philosophy’s vibrant weekly Graduate Research Seminar (GRS). I would like to thank all graduate students for their engagement and critical feedback to my presentations. Special thanks to David Oderberg, who directed the GRS programme and offered important feedback during the sessions. I am thankful to Julia Mosquera, Joseph Connelly, and Matteo Benocci, who were enthusiastic respondents to my presentations. Thank you to George Mason, who kindly read and gave me some written feedback on parts of Chapter 5. This thesis has resulted in, and benefited from, four conference presentations.
    [Show full text]
  • 2021 APA Eastern Division Meeting Program
    The American Philosophical Association EASTERN DIVISION ONE HUNDRED SEVENTEENTH ANNUAL MEETING PROGRAM VIRTUAL MEETING JANUARY 7 – 9, 2021 AND JANUARY 14 – 16, 2021 Use Coupon Code ZAPE21 to Save 30% (PB)/50% (HC) THROUGH FEBRUARY 16, 2021 ORDER ONLINE AT WWW.SUNYPRESS.EDU Critique in German Philosophy The Aesthetic Clinic From Kant to Critical Theory Feminine Sublimation in Contemporary María del Rosario Acosta López and Writing, Psychoanalysis, and Art J. Colin McQuillan, editors Fernanda Negrete The Primary Way The Disintegration of Community Philosophy of Yijing On Jorge Portilla’s Social and Political Chung-ying Cheng Philosophy, With Translations Foreword by Robert Cummings Neville of Selected Essays Carlos Alberto Sánchez and Jouissance Francisco Gallegos, editors A Lacanian Concept Néstor A. Braunstein Endangered Excellence Translation and Introduction by On the Political Philosophy of Aristotle Silvia Rosman Pierre Pellegrin Translated by Anthony Preus Epistemic Responsibility Lorraine Code A World Not Made for Us Topics in Critical Environmental Philosophy Manufactured Uncertainty Keith R. Peterson Implications for Climate Change Skepticism Recovering the Liberal Spirit Lorraine Code Nietzsche, Individuality, and Spiritual Freedom On Metaphysical Necessity Steven F. Pittz Essays on God, the World, Morality, and Democracy Adult Life Franklin I. Gamwell Aging, Responsibility, and the Pursuit of Happiness Carl Schmitt between John Russon Technological Rationality and Theology Modernity as Exception The Position and Meaning and Miracle
    [Show full text]
  • The Harm of Being Brought Into Existence Kei UDONO
    The Harm of Being Brought into Existence Kei UDONO Scientific Contribution The Harm of Being Brought into Existence A Critical Examination of David Benatar’s Anti-Natalist Argument Kei UDONO Ritsumeikan University (JSPS Postdoctoral Fellow) Email: [email protected] Abstract Through a critical examination of David Benatar’s anti-natalist argument, I consider whether being brought into existence is inherently a harm as he claims. Benatar’s negative view of procreation stems from the notion that suffering is intrinsically harmful and that harm permeates life. This paper asserts that the obscurity and ambiguity of the concepts employed in Benatar’s central argument lead him to make some fundamental mistakes. First, his concepts of ‘good’ and ‘bad’ are not clearly defined, particularly in his discussion on the desirability of human extinction. Consequently, there is some ambiguity as to whether such concepts are synonyms for pleasure and pain or for benefit and detriment, respectively. Additionally, Benatar’s contention that “[the] absence of a pleasure is not bad unless there is somebody for whom this absence is a deprivation” merits critical scrutiny. In the context of this critical examination, the possibility of applying the concept of deprivation to the unborn (not-yet- conceived) is also explored. Further, Benatar’s view on the badness of life can be counterargued from an anti-hedonist perspective. Finally, Benatar’s view on the badness of death does not sit well with his negative view of life. Keywords: procreation, anti-natalism, harm, the unborn, deprivation, non-existence of good and bad, deprivation, the unborn child, Introduction the non-existent being, life not worth starting and In Better Never to Have Been (2006), South life not worth living, the undesirability of death, African philosopher David Benatar argues that and quality of life.
    [Show full text]
  • Better Never to Have Been: the Harm of Coming Into Existence Free
    FREE BETTER NEVER TO HAVE BEEN: THE HARM OF COMING INTO EXISTENCE PDF David Benatar | 256 pages | 15 Sep 2008 | Oxford University Press | 9780199549269 | English | Oxford, United Kingdom Better Never to Have Been: The Harm of Coming into Existence - Oxford Scholarship He is best known for his advocacy of antinatalism. Here is a summary of his basic argument. It is commonly assumed that we do nothing wrong bringing future people into existence if their lives will, on balance, be good. This assumes that being brought into existence is generally beneficial. Here it is in matrix form:. The first is that: 1 while there is a duty not to bring people who will suffer into the world supports 3there is no duty to bring people who will be happy into the world supports 4. Thus a lack of suffering is always good, whether or not someone exists to enjoy this absence; whereas a lack of happiness is not always bad unless people exist to be denied it. His second argument is that though we think it strange to say we have children so they will benefit, we think it normal to say we should not have children because they will be harmed. His third argument to support the asymmetry is that while not having children may be bad or good for the living, not having been born is no deprivation for those who have never been born. This fundamental asymmetry—suffering is an intrinsic harm, but the absence of pleasure is not—allows Benatar to draw his nihilistic conclusions. In other words, the measure by which the absence of pain is better than its presence is itself greater than the measure by which the presence of pleasure is better than its absence.
    [Show full text]