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Axiological Asymmetry Explained
- The asymmetry argument states that absence of pain is good even if no one exists to benefit, but absence of pleasure is not bad unless someone is deprived.
- This leads to the conclusion that bringing someone into existence always harms them as no existence is better for them.
Concepts Adapted for Nonexistence
- Absences of pains and pleasures in nonexisting people require adapted conceptual treatment since traditional concepts do not apply.
- It is better to say absence of pain is a comparative good than to apply normal judgments uncritically in unusual nonexistence scenarios.
Nonexistence as Moral Neutrality
- Comparing existence with nonexistence involves weighing net suffering or pleasure against a neutral state of nonexistence.
- This comparative framework supports anti-natalism when life involves predominately suffering, without requiring the absence of pain to be intrinsically good.