The Matter of Matter: Critiquing David Benatar’s Antinatalism through Elif Shafak’s Selected Novels

Abstract

The present study critically examines David Benatar’s antinatalist philosophy which posits that human existence is inherently harmful and that non-existence may be ethically superior due to the imbalance between suffering and pleasure. Benatar's paradigm posits suffering as the principal evaluative criterion of life; this study contests this pessimistic ontology by reassessing the philosophical importance of material existence through the selected novels of Elif Shafak. The study employs a comprehensive theoretical framework that synthesizes antinatalist discourse, narrative analysis, and metaphysical inquiry. It posits that matter—conceived both as an existential concern and as a physical entity—serves not only as a site of suffering but also as a locus of relationality, transformation, and meaning-making. Shafak's stories show that embodied life is dynamic and purposeful, which makes it harder to see existence as just harm. The study contends that by reconceptualizing material embodiment as potentially teleological, the enduring and comprehensible nature of matter creates an avenue for intentional interpretations of life that oppose the ethical imperative towards extinction. It aims to illustrate that antinatalist findings neglect aspects of meaning rooted in embodiment and transcendence, indicating that existence may hold value beyond the assessment of pain.

Keywords: Antinatalism; David Benatar; Materiality; Teleology; Embodiment; Elif Shafak; Narrative Meaning.