Would you say that a lack of pleasure is just as bad as pain?

Question

pain seems worse because when you're feeling it you know it, and you want to get rid of it, but you can't feel a lack of pleasure, but I think the two are equally bad. Not getting to feel a particular kind of pleasure is just as bad as feeling the equivalent oppostite in pain.

so, you could argue that God is evil not just for making you feel tons of pain and suffering in this world, but for also denying you all kinds of pleasures you could be feeling.

Not sure though, what are your thoughts? 10 points to the most thought provoking!

Answer 1

Lack of pleasure can be painful,  especially if you've had a taste of pleasure.  Then it can hurt worse to be lacking pleasure because now you know what your lacking....you know what your life is missing.

For me its like being in love and then having that "in love" feeling taken away.  Even though my heart had been broken,  that feeling, that rush of emotion from being madly in love  gave me hope that I will find that love again.  Being in love gave me a pleasure that I want to feel again.  I knew what pleasure was then,  and it was good.

Answer 2

yes

Answer 3

The question of evil states: If evil exists, God must either not be all good because he allows it to exist or not all powerful because he can't stop it.

Then, Augustine of Hippo came up with the hypothesis that pain is just the absence of pleasure (and evil is the abscence of good) rather than something by itself. This appears to refute the problem of evil because there is no evil.

Unfortunately, this does not take into account what you just said, why would God deny pleasure and goodness to the world?

A common response to that is that you can "grow" from pain and suffering or the lack of pleasure. After all, constant pleasure cause complacency and decadence and all religions except Satanism and some parts of Hinduism are against this according to their holy books.

My response to that would be that a baby dieing of SIDS does not teach anyone anything. Anything ending in death does not make stronger, it kills you.

To THAT, they respond that it makes people around you stronger.

So, I respond, God must not take human life very seriously if he is willing to kill people for a lesson. Yet, the sanctity of life is what all religions teach. God would then become a hypocrite, refuting his all goodness (hypocrisy is evil or haraam in Islam, for example).

So, in short, yes, I would definitely agree with you.

Answer 4

I disagree.

Here's why. Pain I am physically and mentally aware of, whereas when I lack something, it does not physically or mentally hurt me. Being denied pleasure doesn't cause me pain. It may make me bored, but boredom doesn't equate to pain and suffering. Also, I don't feel this applies to God (whether or not you believe in god/gods/higher power) because I believe in free will. Therefore, whatever pleasure you are experiencing is because you have gotten yourself into that situation, and whatever pain you are experiencing is also because of the actions you have taken. And, just because I want to, I beleive in a higher power (whatever you wish to call it) that would not intentionally cause any being unnecessary pain, unnecessary being the key word, because suffering can cause us to become stronger, or teach us lessons we need to learn.

Okay I have finished my ramblings =)

Answer 5

i absolutely agree with you... it really is as bad as pain..