Software is sometimes defined as “everything that can be transmitted over a telephone line” (as opposed to hardware, which is everything that doesn’t).
In a similar way, we could define psychological suffering (or simply, “suffering”) as “that suffering that can be generated by sending a WhatsApp”, that is, transmitting information. The physical suffering (or “pain”) would be “that suffering which can not be generated through a WhatsApp”. For example, toothache.
Exactly the same type of definition would apply to pleasure. The psychological pleasure (or “enjoyment”) would be “that pleasure that can be generated by sending a WhatsApp”, that is, transmitting information. And physical pleasure (or simply, “pleasure”) would be “that pleasure which can not be generated through a WhatsApp”. For example, the pleasure of a sweet.
These classifications may be useful in considering the origin or cause of suffering, and therefore its solution, but the hardware and software metaphor is not entirely satisfactory to me. I can easily imagine a machine that connects WhatsApp with our brain, stimulating neurons and generating precisely the experiences I have mentioned that currently cannot be generated through simple information.
Essentially, I do not believe that there is an essential difference between physical and mental pain.
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