Pain is a signal. Like pleasure, it converts neutral events in the body or mind into concepts imbued with value, positive or negative. Things that happen that are (evolutionary) determined to be bad for an organism’s survival or reproduction are, over time, linked to a pain signal in the brain, giving the organism a reason not to do them. Pleasure is also a signal. Some events can cause pleasure AND pain, which just means that they trigger both signals (with varying strength.) The signalling mechanism is, of course, imperfectly calibrated, since evolution rarely results in anything perfect, and since the environment and the cues the organism needs to respond to are constantly changing anyway. Chronic pain could be seen as a misfiring. As for people who enjoy pain, the pain-signal in the brain could (for certain events and situations, after the right past history and operant conditioning) be tied directly to the pleasure-signal.
So...sometimes pain is good, and sometimes it’s bad, depending on whether the signalling system is working correctly, is a rational response to the environment. To torture someone is, because you’re subjecting their brain to a pain signal that serves no useful purpose in helping them survive.
This doesn’t seem to take into account the fact that pain hurts. I suggest that “why pain is bad” rests ultimately on that fact. Torture isn’t bad just because it confuses signals and doesn’t increase reproductive success.
This is my idea:
Pain is a signal. Like pleasure, it converts neutral events in the body or mind into concepts imbued with value, positive or negative. Things that happen that are (evolutionary) determined to be bad for an organism’s survival or reproduction are, over time, linked to a pain signal in the brain, giving the organism a reason not to do them. Pleasure is also a signal. Some events can cause pleasure AND pain, which just means that they trigger both signals (with varying strength.) The signalling mechanism is, of course, imperfectly calibrated, since evolution rarely results in anything perfect, and since the environment and the cues the organism needs to respond to are constantly changing anyway. Chronic pain could be seen as a misfiring. As for people who enjoy pain, the pain-signal in the brain could (for certain events and situations, after the right past history and operant conditioning) be tied directly to the pleasure-signal.
So...sometimes pain is good, and sometimes it’s bad, depending on whether the signalling system is working correctly, is a rational response to the environment. To torture someone is, because you’re subjecting their brain to a pain signal that serves no useful purpose in helping them survive.
This doesn’t seem to take into account the fact that pain hurts. I suggest that “why pain is bad” rests ultimately on that fact. Torture isn’t bad just because it confuses signals and doesn’t increase reproductive success.
You are right. I was trying to give a reductionist, objective description of what pain is, but that doesn’t really cover what it is.
Well, to be fair, that’s pretty much what most attempts end up doing, and I just happened to pick on you out of capriciousness ;)