Pain and suffering are inevitable phenomena in life. Despite the continuous development of society, science, and technology, they continue to shape and determine our lives. New evidence shows that the human species is not the only one to experience pain and suffering in the world of life. As regularly occurring phenomena in every walk of life, some recognize in them the possibility of developing the meaning of one’s existence, while others see in them the definitive proof of the futility and transience of human endeavor.

The lectures covered various topics on pain and suffering from a variety of scientific and academic disciplines. Examples include pain and suffering in medicine and health care, an evolutionary perspective of pain and suffering, legal aspects of pain and suffering, philosophical and theological approaches to pain and suffering as sources of meaning in life, the inspiration for artistic creation, and the context of modern scientific and technological developments.