A problem with pain

A problem with pain*

Christopher Fry’s diatribe against pain in the creation (quoted in News Weekly, October 31, 2020, p24) is altogether too simple minded. Without pain, higher animal life (beyond the reflex) would be impossible.

Pain warns us to withdraw and to protect our bodies from harmful objects and presences in the environment. We all know the adage, “a burnt child fears the fire”, but pain also makes us withdraw from the hot pot-handle that gives us no visual cue,…

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