Originally posted by Sushipunk
Oh, but then the inevitable happens. Around 34 is when many people either a) have kids, or b) buy a house. Or both. Suddenly, all of your spare time and spare cash have been taken up. As the next couple of decades pass, the kids get needier and needier, and are less and less rewarding (because most teenagers are little pricks, let's face it
Looks like you'll be changing that cheerful avatar of yours soon then?
Originally posted by Lira
Wait, why are you saying I'm confusing the two? Indeed, I can't say I've been immune to existentialism (or its critics), and it's influenced me considerably... however, I still don't think we should wipe humanity out (unlike this guy), though I can see why he'd come to such conclusion.
And that's why I want to read this book - has he not seen something we overlooked?
Edit: And my sourness peaks during the holidays, I can't help it
i might have misread the rest of the conversation, it seemed you were defending nihilistic meaningless with existentialist creation of meaning
so i was saying they're irreconcilable, but most likely you weren't saying they were the same, hence your confusion...
i have no idea whats happening anymore
I'll go back to my corner now...
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Dec-28-2010 12:03
Darkarbiter
Psysnob
Registered: Mar 2007
Location: Melbourne
quote:
Originally posted by Domesticated
a) The author is a moron if he believes he has the right to decide, on behalf of others, whether they should live or not.
He has no right to decide whether other people should live or die, but he's not a moron to make that judgement.
Just because you philosophise about people's right to live or die generally when you represent only one of them and not all of them doesn't make you a moron.
I'm just surprised that anyone has an image of old people as happy.
Dec-28-2010 14:49
MrJiveBoJingles
Supreme tranceaddict
Registered: Jun 2004
Location: U.S.
Benatar doesn't deny that people who are alive have the right to continue living. He doesn't say everyone should kill themselves or something. Just that they should stop having kids.
Dec-28-2010 14:49
Domesticated
Supreme tranceaddict
Registered: Feb 2007
Location:
quote:
Originally posted by MrJiveBoJingles
Benatar doesn't deny that people who are alive have the right to continue living. He doesn't say everyone should kill themselves or something. Just that they should stop having kids.
Exactly - he's arguing that life should be taken away from future generations. However, then you have think about the fact that if they never exist, it's not hurting them. This is why I don't like discussing philosophy; it always ends in paradoxes, un-winnable situations or nit-picky semantics.
