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    The asymmetry in attitudes toward prenatal and posthumous... — Carmelics
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    Challenges→The asymmetry in our attitudes toward prenatal and posthumous nonexistence shows that we are more concerned about the indefinite continuation of our lives than about their indefinite extension.

    The asymmetry in attitudes toward prenatal and posthumous nonexistence is better explained by our forward-looking psychology than by any metaphysical preference for continuation over extension.

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    Reasons For

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    Reason for
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    • 1.Humans are causally efficacious only toward the future, so our concern naturally tracks what we can influence or experience.
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    • 2.We rationally fear pain and loss only when they can affect our conscious states; past nonexistence cannot, so fear is irrational.
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    • 3.Our asymmetric attitudes correlate with forward-looking cognitive capacities like anticipation and planning, not metaphysical facts.
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    Reasons Against

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    Reason against
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    • 1.Symmetry of time suggests prenatal and posthumous nonexistence are metaphysically equivalent; psychology alone cannot ground asymmetric rationality.
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    • 2.We fear death itself (the event), not just future suffering; this concern persists even if death causes no negative experience.
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    • 3.Forward-looking psychology explains our behavior but not why the asymmetry should survive rational reflection on what matters.
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    Key Terms

    asymmetry(Modal logic frame semantics)
    A frame property expressible in hybrid logic by the formula c→□¬◇c, meaning if world x accesses world y, then y does not access x.
    continuation(refers to the time we have ahead of us that we want to keep going)
    The idea of something lasting longer or extending further into the future.
    extension(Semantics and philosophy of language)
    Another term for reference, i.e., the object or set of objects a term picks out
    forward-looking psychology(suggests we care more about future nonexistence because our minds naturally point forward in time)
    The human tendency to focus on the future and what's coming ahead, rather than dwelling on the past.
    metaphysical(Ayer's Logical Positivist usage)
    Language that purports to refer beyond the physical world and lacks empirical consequences, which Ayer classifies as not literally significant
    posthumous nonexistence(the other half of the comparison being discussed)
    The time period after you die when you no longer exist.
    prenatal nonexistence(one half of the comparison in the statement)
    The time period before you were born when you did not exist.

    Connections

    1 topic

    Afterlife & Death1 linked

    Related

    Forward-looking psychology explains our behavior but not why the asymmetry shoul...Humans are causally efficacious only toward the future, so our concern naturally...Our asymmetric attitudes correlate with forward-looking cognitive capacities lik...Symmetry of time suggests prenatal and posthumous nonexistence are metaphysicall...

    Details

    Type
    claim
    Perspectives
    2 (1 for, 1 against)
    Edits
    1 edit
    +3 moreShow less
    The asymmetry in our attitudes toward prenatal and posthumous nonexistence shows...We fear death itself (the event), not just future suffering; this concern persis...We rationally fear pain and loss only when they can affect our conscious states;...