Martin Butler's Negative Philosophy

Martin Butler's Negative Philosophy

Share this post

Martin Butler's Negative Philosophy
Martin Butler's Negative Philosophy
Gluttons for Punishment

Gluttons for Punishment

Life at any cost. But it doesn't have to be that way.

Martin Butler's avatar
Martin Butler
Dec 23, 2024
∙ Paid
3

Share this post

Martin Butler's Negative Philosophy
Martin Butler's Negative Philosophy
Gluttons for Punishment
1
Share

ostrich head under blue sky during daytime
Photo by Volodymyr Tokar on Unsplash

Human beings are quite capable of asking questions that might establish the worth of life. Different people might determine different measures of worth, but some yardsticks might include pleasure, permanence, meaning, achievement, and others. A very brief survey of the nature of life reveals that human life is an exercise in futility, in whichever way you measure it. Everyone dies at a time unknown to them. Most lives also know significantly more pain than pleasure since pain is the cattle prod that makes us strive to persist in our existence. There can, of course, be no “achievement” as such since the sands of time will wash everything away. I could go on to mention the loss of loved ones, trauma, betrayal, anxiety, stress, hatred, and so on, but hopefully, you are getting the picture.

This post is for paid subscribers

Already a paid subscriber? Sign in
© 2025 Martin Butler
Privacy ∙ Terms ∙ Collection notice
Start writingGet the app
Substack is the home for great culture

Share