A regular reader asks
Wait… did Mr. Karl “one of the largest downsides of being born is that you have to die” Smith have a child?
If so then, seriously, congratulations. I hope you will see that “happiness”, “gratification” and “joy” are truly different emotions, related but not substitutes for each other.
Coming to parenting honestly means acknowledging that while a joy to me, birth is an unrequested imposition on my son. He like everyone else – did not ask to be born.
It is in part because of that, that I owe him the happiest existence I can manage.
11 comments
Comments feed for this article
Wednesday ~ July 27th, 2011 at 9:32 am
Paul Crowley
I thought you were something of a Singularitarian? Dying of old age doesn’t seem like the most likely outcome for a child born today.
Wednesday ~ July 27th, 2011 at 9:50 am
Roland Stephen
Who among us would choose this journey, in which the high places of joy are always followed by the vale of tears, were it not for the suspicion that we had no beginning and no end in some other undiscovered country…
Wednesday ~ July 27th, 2011 at 9:51 am
todd
I have never seen life described as an “imposition”. I honestly, don’t even know what it means. Doesn’t an imposition require a pre-existing set of preferences on the part of the person accepting the imposition? Do you imagine that your son existed in some nebulous state prior to his birth such that he could/would have declined existence? Weird.
Wednesday ~ July 27th, 2011 at 10:45 am
wrigglefreeabc
if life is getting better and better all the time, wouldn’t it have made more sense to defer the child’s birth a few years?
Wednesday ~ July 27th, 2011 at 11:06 am
rjs
i never blamed my father…i figured me being here was my mother’s fault…
Wednesday ~ July 27th, 2011 at 1:08 pm
Freddie
This is a weird position for an atheist; life, while a horror show, cannot meaningfully be called an imposition because prior to existence there is nothing on which life can be imposed.
Wednesday ~ July 27th, 2011 at 1:12 pm
Rick Russell
Don’t worry, your son won’t realize that life is an imposition until he’s 13 or 14. Then he’ll make you pay!
Wednesday ~ July 27th, 2011 at 1:20 pm
Sister Y
“It is part because of that, that I owe him the most happiest existence I can manage.”
I find that refreshing.
“prior to existence there is nothing on which life can be imposed”
This is called the non-identity problem. See also the Logic of the Larder.
Thursday ~ July 28th, 2011 at 3:34 am
Khal Mojo
I’m just here to deposit my “LOL” at your all too awesome logic.
Thursday ~ July 28th, 2011 at 9:34 am
Craig
“He like everyone else – did not ask to be born.”
This must of course be regarded as nothing more than a working hypothesis. There might be one hell of a waiting list to be born. Wouldn’t that be a surprise?
Friday ~ July 29th, 2011 at 7:28 am
Th
However you get to it, working to give him “the happiest existence I can manage” will make you both happy. Congratulations.