A philosophy of pain / Arne Johan Vetlesen ; translated by John Irons.

"'Living involves being exposed to pain every second - not necessarily as an insistent reality, but always as a possibility', writes Arne Johan Vetlesen in A philosophy of pain, a thought-provoking look at an inevitable and essential aspect of the human condition. Vetlesen addresses pain in many forms, including the pain inflicted by torture; the pain suffered in disease; and the pain of anxiety, grief and depression. He examines the dual nature of pain: how we attempt to avoid it as much as possible in our daily lives and yet, conversely, obtain a thrill from seeking it. Vetlesen looks at pain within areas of modern life such as family and work, and he specifically probes a common modern phenomenon, the idea of pushing oneself to the limit. Engaging throughout with the ideas of thinkers such as Kierkegaard, Freud, Heidegger, Sartre, Merleau-Ponty, Horkheimer, Adorno, Sontag and Klein, A philosophy of pain explores the concept and possibility of empathy, as well as providing an analysis of the place of pain in modern culture."--Page 4 of cover.