Mill spoke of happiness as pleasure and the absence of pain. If we believe that the “motion of our lives is toward happiness,” then we have to consider ways in which to reduce pain. In a naive approach, this seems right, and it may seem not only right in a simple sense but right in a fully justified sense after we have examined and criticized arguments that give pain and suffering a privileged place in human life. There are those who argue that pain and suffering do play a positive role in human flourishing, and those arguments carry into education and child-rearing. The slogan “no pain, no gain” is heard in every realm of human endeavor. Should we endorse it?

Throughout this chapter (and the entire book), I will use a pragmatic test to decide whether or not to adopt a particular position: What will be the effects of adopting X? Analysis of effects will be guided by care theory; that is, among the effects considered, I will be concerned with the effects on caring relations and, especially, on those we care for.

Suffering and Meaning

Is there meaning in suffering? In some religious traditions, an affirmative answer is assumed. Perhaps the most influential school of thought on the link between suffering and meaning involves the notion of soul-making. I will explore this very important idea in a later section of this chapter. For now, notice that the question itself may mislead us.