20 Facts About David Benatar

David Benatar is a South African philosopher, academic, and author.

David Benatar is best known for his work in moral philosophy and for advancing the position of antinatalism, the view that coming into existence is a serious harm.

David Benatar is the author of Better Never to Have Been: The Harm of Coming into Existence, in which he argues that procreation is always morally wrong because it imposes harm by bringing sentient beings into existence.

David Benatar is emeritus professor of philosophy at the University of Cape Town and a member of the editorial board of the Journal of Controversial Ideas.

David Benatar is the son of Solomon David Benatar, a global-health expert who founded the Bioethics Centre at the University of Cape Town.

David Benatar studied at the University of Cape Town, receiving a BSocSc and PhD.

David Benatar is emeritus professor of philosophy at the University of Cape Town.

David Benatar is a member of the editorial board of the Journal of Controversial Ideas.

David Benatar argues there is a crucial asymmetry between the good and the bad things, such as pleasure and pain, which means it would be better for humans not to have been born:.

David Benatar argues that bringing someone into existence generates both good and bad experiences, pain and pleasure, whereas not doing so generates neither pain nor pleasure.

David Benatar raises four other related asymmetries that he considers quite plausible:.

David Benatar raises the issue of whether humans inaccurately estimate the true quality of their lives, and has cited three psychological phenomena which he believes are responsible for this:.

David Benatar suggests that these considerations can justify a rational fear of death, independent of cultural or religious attitudes toward mortality.

David Benatar is the author of a series of widely cited papers in medical ethics, including "Between Prophylaxis and Child Abuse" and "A Pain in the Fetus: Toward Ending Confusion about Fetal Pain", both co-authored with Michael David Benatar.

David Benatar's work has been published in journals including Ethics, Journal of Applied Philosophy, Social Theory and Practice, American Philosophical Quarterly, QJM: An International Journal of Medicine, Journal of Law and Religion and the British Medical Journal.

David Benatar is known for maintaining a high level of personal privacy, and little is publicly known about his private life.

David Benatar has stated that he does not have children.

David Benatar is vegan, and has taken part in debates on veganism.

David Benatar has expressed concern about what he views as a hostile environment toward Jews at institutions such as the University of Cape Town, attributing this to elements of what he describes as the "regressive left".

David Benatar has expressed criticism of South Africans who have shown support for Hamas, including Ronnie Kasrils.