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Apr 20, 2022 · It is thus possible to find meaning even in the worst of physical suffering—as Nietzsche did in his own life (Leiter 2002, 131)—by taking up a positive attitude towards such objective and external negative conditions. As a result, Nietzsche thinks that suffering provides the opportunity for a meaningful response, rather than undermining or destroying meaning in one’s life.
Nov 29, 2021 · Many religious traditions see value in such suffering. Among other things, it is said to bring us closer to God. C.S. Lewis worried that we get too complacent and proud in our happiness; suffering ...
- Paul Bloom
Sep 12, 2022 · Suffering is a part of life, but how you deal with it can make all the difference. If you are going through a tough time, don’t hesitate to seek help. Talk to a friend or family member, or seek ...
Indeed, while the Stoics seek to purge us of ‘irrational’ pain, and the Buddha wants us to escape the cycle of craving and desire (and thus eventually escape suffering), Nietzsche thinks suffering can be viewed as an authentic, understandable response to life in a world without order or purpose.
- Summary
- Introduction
- Possible Misconceptions About Instrumental Value
- Life and Diversity
- Valuable Experiences
- Acknowledgments
- References
A common objection to suffering-focused ethics is that it contradicts our practically prioritizing other pursuits, such as seeking enjoyable and enriching experiences. To respond, this chapter aims to show that even if we assume a purely suffering-focused view, it would still be wise to recognize the highly positive and often necessary roles that o...
Suffering-focused ethics is an umbrella term for moral views that place primary or particular importance on the prevention of suffering. Most views that fall into this category are pluralistic in that they hold that other things besides reducing suffering also matter morally.1 Most people agree that reducing intense suffering is important, other th...
Below are some ways in which it might be counterproductive to think of various valuable things as “merely instrumental” in everyday life: 1. Misleading connotations of being used as a mere tool. The term ‘instrumental value’ may increase the likelihood that we would perceive the value of something or someone as “merely instrumental… merely a tool”,...
Suffering-focused views may appear as if they would ignore or override values widely held to have almost sacred status, such as a general respect for personal autonomy, life, and ecosystems. However, a careful account of how to best reduce suffering in practice suggests that it would be self-defeating to seek to help others via means that go direct...
An objection sometimes raised against suffering-focused views is that they seem to leave too little room for the valuable experiences in life, contradicting our everyday experience of what makes life worth living. Perhaps such a “negative focus” feels like a distraction from, or even a threat to, what one may see as more centrally important, such a...
Special thanks to Magnus Vinding for help with editing. I am also grateful for helpful comments by Riikka Ajantaival, Tobias Baumann, Timothy Chan, Eleos Arete Citrini, Anthony DiGiovanni, James Faville, Simon Knutsson, Jonathan Leighton, and Brian Tomasik.
Animal Ethics. (2020, July 14). Ethical theories and nonhuman animals [Video]. youtube.com/watch?v=WsXzdi7zSOo Baumann, T. (2017b). S-risks: An introduction. centerforreducingsuffering.org/research/intro Baumann, T. (2020b). Common ground for longtermists. centerforreducingsuffering.org/research/common-ground-for-longtermists Baumann, T. (2022). Av...
Nobody gets through life without suffering at least a little. Most of the time, most of us try to avoid suffering when we can. The German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche (1844–1900), however, thinks that suffering holds an important positive place in our lives; he claims that suffering is essential to forming humans into who we are, helping us grow as individuals and as a species.
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Dec 6, 2022 · Suffering, if the meaning of which can be established, contributes to one’s sense of well-being; meaning in life mediates between suffering and well-being. While an important step toward reimagining the role of suffering for well-being, Edwards & van Tongeren’s study conceptualizes well-being as “satisfaction with life;” hence it prioritizes the role of self-reporting in defining and ...
