★ Don't want to work. Don't want to get married. Hate your parents. Afraid of aging—if any of this sounds familiar, this book is for you.
★ Gakushuin University philosophy professor Kojima Kazuo takes on 12 concrete struggles—work, marriage, lonely death, family trauma, having children, euthanasia—through the lens of anti-natalism.
★ The problem isn't you—it's society. See the structure for what it is, and you'll find a way to reduce your own suffering. A philosophy of self-preservation.
★ Starting from the despair of "I didn't want to be born" and arriving at an exit called "but I can still go on living." No empty platitudes—just clear reasoning.
★ "Is it okay not to have children?" "Can't I choose euthanasia?" Every question in this book hits exactly where people are most afraid to speak.

I didn't want to be born. But here I am.

This is the starting point of a philosophy called anti-natalism.
Suffering is inseparable from being born. The labor you do just to put food on the table. The anxiety of remaining unmarried. The discomfort of loneliness. The inevitable decline of age and illness. The difficulty of living isn't because you're weak or lazy. It's because you were born—without ever asking for it—into an imperfect system and society.
The problem lies with society, not with the individual. Once you see that structure clearly, the path to easing your own pain begins to emerge.
A philosophy of self-preservation, written by an anti-natalist philosopher.

KOJIMA Kazuo

Professor of Philosophy at Gakushuin University's Faculty of Letters. Born in 1976. Ph.D. in Philosophy. Specializes in Ancient Greek philosophy, anti-natalism, and udon noodles. Serves as a board member of the Japan Udon Society, and is known for his belief that no subject of study is too humble or beneath consideration.

Chapter 1: I Don't Want to Work, so Why Do I Work?
Chapter 2: I Don't Want to Get Married, but I'm Afraid of Dying Alone
Chapter 3: I Hate My Parents
Chapter 4: My Cat Will Die Before Me—It's Too Painful
Chapter 5: Do I Really Need Friends?
Chapter 6: Where Do I Put My Pleasure?
Chapter 7: Illness and Aging
Chapter 8: Is It Okay Not to Have Children?
Chapter 9: Do I Need a Goal in Life?
Chapter 10: Are Experiences Really That Important?
Chapter 11: Can't I Choose Euthanasia?
Chapter 12: I Didn't Want to Be Born, so Why Do I Keep Living?