Better Never To Have Been

By David Benatar

In this book David argues that coming into existence is always a serious harm to the person existing. He argues this is the case regardless of how much pleasure they experience in life or how much pleasure they bring to other people.

The primary claim is an asymmetry of pleasure and pain.

1. The presence of pain is bad
2. The presence of pleasure is good
3. The absence of pain is good, even if that good is not enjoyed by anyone (we are technically happy to know that there are not millions of people suffering on Mars right now)
4. The absence of pleasure is not bad unless there is somebody for whom this absence is a deprivation (we do not morn that there are not millions of people enjoying life on Mars right now)

There are also many other smaller claims:

• One can never have a child for that child's sake
• It is inconsistent to argue for the right to create a person and argue against the right for someone else to have a friend or family member immigrate
• Increasing one's value by having children is like increasing one's value by taking hostages
• etc…

David also examines what it means to have "a life worth living" and "a life worth continuing".