Antinatalism and Depression XXXVIII: Harm
Channel: Anekantavad
Date: 15/08/2012

What is harm? Is this a disturbing question? If so, why?

Wiktionary's Definition:
Noun
harm (plural harms)
Injury; hurt; damage; detriment; misfortune.
That which causes injury, damage, or loss.
Usage notes
Adjectives often applied to "harm": bodily, physical, environmental, emotional, financial, serious, irreparable, potential, long-term, short-term, permanent, lasting, material, substantial.
Verb
harm (third-person singular simple present harms, present participle harming, simple past and past participle harmed)
To cause injury to another; to hurt; to cause damage to something.

Just so we know, I find these definition hopelessly inadequate.

The Noun section is nothing but a pack of synonyms, and the verb section is nothing but a bunch of examples. I want to know what harm - in and of itself - is. Benatar throws the word around in such a careless (and more importantly, unchallenged) manner that he is free to shape the concept into anything that suits his argument, and I believe that it is a timid shrinking away from a definition of harm in and of itself that enables him to do this.

Look at this picture. What side of the image is your eye drawn to first, and why? http://www.bracegirdle.it/Arda/images/gandalf_nazgul.jpg