16 The Review of Life Studies Vol.13 (September 2022):16-34 The Concept of Painless Civilization and the Philosophy of Biological Evolution With Reference to Jonas, Freud, and Bataille Masahiro Morioka * 1. Introduction In this paper I attempt to open a new horizon in the field of civilization studies by examining the concept of painless civilization from the perspective of the philosophy of biological evolution. Since the space is limited, the priority will be given to the clarification of an overall structure. Painless civilization is a concept first proposed in my Japanese book Painless Civilization (Transview, 2003). This book has been translated into multiple foreign languages (a Korean version [entire book], an English version [Chapter 1], and a Turkish version [Chapter 1]). 1 Although this book was completed and published in 2003, I have a plan to expand it and write a second part. This paper is written as a draft for the forthcoming book. 2. Painless Civilization and Self-Domestication Modern civilization has created systems that seek “comfort and pleasure” and eliminate “pain and suffering” and has spread them to every corner of our society. It is progressing like a great wave in many developed countries. I have called a civilization advancing in this direction a “painless civilization.” At first glance, the elimination of pain and suffering seems like a good thing. Of course, it is considered good if unbearable suffering (such as the pain of terminal cancer) that we encounter in our lives can be avoided through technology. This is not the problem. The problem is that modern civilization is moving in a direction where various forms of suffering that we might experience in the future are going to be * Professor, Human Sciences, Waseda University, 2-579-15 Mikajima, Tokorozawa, Saitama, 359-1192 Japan. Email: http://www.lifestudies.org/feedback.html 1 The English translation of Chapter One of Painless Civilization is available as an open access PDF: Google Scholar.