Summary of David Benatar's The Human Predicament

By IRB Media

Please note: This is a companion version & not the original book.

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#1 The human condition is a tragic one. Life has no meaning from a cosmic perspective, and our lives have no broader point or purpose. Our quality of life is as poor as it is. Death does not help us overcome our cosmic meaninglessness, and it only makes things worse.

#2 Death is bad, and while some have tried to cope by denying it, there is no avoiding it. The human predicament is that we are mortal, and we must face this fact.

#3 There is a distinction between optimism and pessimism in the realm of the facts. An optimist believes that a terrible fate will not befall him, whereas a pessimist believes that he will fall victim to that fate. They both agree that the fate is terrible, but they have differing views about whether it will occur.

#4 Optimism and pessimism are both matters of degree rather than binary positions. If some feature of the human condition is negative, it can be more or less negative. If some other feature is positive, then, similarly, it can be more or less positive.

• Language: English
• Publisher: IRB Media
• Release date: Apr 2, 2022
• ISBN: 9781669381501

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Insights on David Benatar's The Human Predicament

Contents

Insights from Chapter 1

Insights from Chapter 2

Insights from Chapter 3

Insights from Chapter 4

Insights from Chapter 5

Insights from Chapter 6

Insights from Chapter 7

Insights from Chapter 8

Insights from Chapter 1

#1

The human condition is a tragic one. Life has no meaning from a cosmic perspective, and our lives have no broader point or purpose. Our quality of life is as poor as it is. Death does not help us overcome our cosmic meaninglessness, and it only makes things worse.

#2

Death is bad, and while some have tried to cope by denying it, there is no avoiding it. The human predicament is that we are mortal, and we must face this fact.

#3

There is a distinction between optimism and pessimism in the realm of the facts. An optimist believes that a terrible fate will not befall him, whereas a pessimist believes that he will fall victim to that fate. They both agree that the fate is terrible, but they have differing views about whether it will occur.

#4

Optimism and pessimism are both matters of degree rather than binary positions. If some feature of the human condition is negative, it can be more or less negative. If some other feature is positive, then, similarly, it can be more or less positive.

#5

The human condition is most accurately described as the human predicament. It is not a case of those who are thrust into this predicament being able to avoid the horror of it.

#6

The human predicament is not unlike the animal predicament more generally. We share many features with other animals, such as the fact that we all suffer and die. However, humans have an unparalleled level of self-awareness, which allows us to reflect on our predicament.