#1252 David Benatar - The Human Predicament: A Candid Guide to Life's Biggest Questions
RECORDED ON FEBRUARY 17th 2026.
Dr. David Benatar is Emeritus Professor of Philosophy at the University of Cape Town. He is best known for his advocacy of antinatalism in his book Better Never to Have Been: The Harm of Coming into Existence, in which he argues that coming into existence is a serious harm, regardless of the feelings of the existing being once brought into existence, and that, as a consequence, it is always morally wrong to create more sentient beings. He’s also the author of The Human Predicament: A Candid Guide to Life’s Biggest Questions (2017).
In this episode, we focus on The Human Predicament. We talk about pessimism, optimism, and the human predicament. We discuss cosmic meaning and terrestrial meaning. We talk about quality of life. We discuss whether suffering is necessary in life, and whether transhumanism could be a solution. We talk about the role of death. Finally, we discuss how people should deal with their predicament.
Time Links:
Intro
Pessimism, optimism, and the human predicament
Cosmic meaning and terrestrial meaning
Quality of life
Is suffering necessary?
Transhumanism
Death
How should people deal with their predicament?
Follow Dr. Benatar’s work!
Follow Dr. Benatar’s work:
The Human Predicament: https://tinyurl.com/3cd4ndcm
Faculty page: http://bit.ly/2IWPpmL
PhilPeople profile: http://bit.ly/2OSZ5lS
Twitter handle: @d_benatar