When considering this topic I think one has to contend with the notion that suffering and well-being can’t carry symmetrical weight.
The idea that they’re not things you can combine into one value with the hopes that the sum ends up being positive. That in fact suffering just exists in the negative domain of qualia, and no amount of positive qualia can “cancel it out”, unless the two are experienced simultaneously (in which case I don’t think I’d consider that to be actual suffering).
I’m currently undecided on the merits of antinatalism for a variety of reasons.
That said, I have past experience of at least ten years of excruciating major depressive disorder, (doing much better now). If I were given the option to experience another decade of that, in exchange for an extra century of pain-free euphoria, I would absolutely decline that offer. Even if there were only a 10% chance that I’d even experience that decade, I would still decline.
When considering this topic I think one has to contend with the notion that suffering and well-being can’t carry symmetrical weight.
The idea that they’re not things you can combine into one value with the hopes that the sum ends up being positive. That in fact suffering just exists in the negative domain of qualia, and no amount of positive qualia can “cancel it out”, unless the two are experienced simultaneously (in which case I don’t think I’d consider that to be actual suffering).
I’m currently undecided on the merits of antinatalism for a variety of reasons.
That said, I have past experience of at least ten years of excruciating major depressive disorder, (doing much better now). If I were given the option to experience another decade of that, in exchange for an extra century of pain-free euphoria, I would absolutely decline that offer. Even if there were only a 10% chance that I’d even experience that decade, I would still decline.