Stop Valuing Suffering Over Health

The essay argues that public fury at embryo screening and AI 'completing' a grief-infused artwork reveals a bias toward romanticizing suffering and tragedy. It claims that progress often makes culture feel 'shallower' by removing sources of pain, and that society should accept this tradeoff to reduce harm. The frame challenges moral objections that seek to preserve suffering for meaning or authenticity. — If a 'suffering premium' shapes norms and policy, it could slow adoption of genetic and medical technologies that substantially cut disease and disability.