The Antinatalism Pill: Better Never to Have Been?

"If children were brought into the world by an act of pure reason alone, would the human race continue to exist?" —Arthur Schopenhauer

Timestamps:
0:00 Introduction: optimism vs pessimism
1:17 The emptiness of existence
4:40 The asymmetry of pleasure and pain
6:21 The human predicament
9:37 Conclusion: pragmatic pessimism

References:
- Arthur Schopenhauer: Studies in Pessimism
- David Benatar: Better Never to Have Been: The Harm of Coming into Existence
- David Benatar: The Human Predicament: A Candid Guide to Life's Biggest Questions

Image: The Stages of Life by Caspar David Friedrich