Suicide in Relation to Philosophy

Suicide isconventionally defined as intentional self-destruction (Honderich 902). It is notably freeing oneself from reality of life and the topic is often controversial.Different philosophers air different views regarding suicide. The act has been condemned, romanticized and cited on morality basis to philosophically investigate it. Suicide was used by the Socrates when he took away his life by taking hemlock. According to Plato, suicide is better in the case that one is sentenced to capital punishment by state, bound by misfortunes and when one is suffering permanent disgrace. All the same, Plato argued that the actsshould be punishable in instances it is associated with indolence and cowardice.  St. Thomas Aquinas hit the nail on the head when he stated that “it is altogether unlawful to kill oneself, for three reasons; (1) everything naturally keeps itself in being…wherefore suicide is ….contrary to the natural law and to charity. (2) Because everyman is part of the community, and by killing himself he injures the community. (3) Because life is God’s gift to man, and is subject to His power…Hence whoever takes his own life, sins against God (Honderich 902).

Suicide Philosophical Investigation

Opposition

Suicide has been opposed philosophically regarding it as being immoral or unethical. This is because suicide is as a result being depressed, emotionally hurt or even due to economic constrains.  These aspects are however temporary whose management is possible through lifestyle changes and therapy. Therefore, whytake a lasting solution to a passing problem? All the same, it is argued that emotional agony may be mostly temporary to some individuals, but it is often hard to resolve throughtherapy or lifestyle adjustment to others since it might be too severe which makes it hard for individuals to copee.g. permanent mental disability or incurable ailments (Singer 73).

Suicide is regarded as beingabsurd as viewed by Albert Carnus who points out that the act is prevalentina world with no God, and portrays a freedom denialthat to escape fromabsurd of realityis not the solution, but rather, one should have a passionate attachment towards life (Campbell &Collinson61 &70). Christian philosophers as G. K Chesterton describes the act as an eventual ill,whichis a denial in interest to exist,pointing out that one who takes away his life commits a destruction of the entire world (Honderich 902).

In classical liberalism, an individual’ choice, which hinders one to make further decisions is condemned by John Stuart Mill. Suicide is therefore a social ill that should be prohibited so as to evadeimpeding to the potential to make more choices. Mill however maintains that a person should safeguard their personal interests as he illustrates that is a person was to cross a wrecked bridge he should be warned of the danger ahead, but should not be prevented from crossing it, since he is aware of his life value (Mill & Carlyle 311).

In deontological ethics,ImmanuelKantopposessuicide in that he maintains that an individual who contemplates suicide has to question himself on his act to end his life in relation to humanity.He puts a key emphasis on the act and not the repercussions.Therefore, such a person has to evaluate onif to make the act universalin that all mankind should behave in such a manner.  A decision to end own life is utilizingoneself for self-satisfaction.  Thus, itis not right to commitsuicide for self-satisfactionsincea person uses himself to end himself (Kant 171).

Some philosophers as Jean- Jacques Rousseau argue that according to the social contract, one can put his life to risk to reserve it (Craighead &Nemeroff 1652). However, Hobbes goes against the act when he points out that it is a natural law, which prohibits people to destroytheir lives or the means to preserve it. Going against such a natural law is considered immoralsince a person’s intuition naturally fears death (Paterson 5).

According to David Hume, he maintains that it is a portrayal of rebelling against God and does not see it as a way of safeguarding a life of an individual doomed to death, neither is it an act of altering anything in one’s environment. He maintains that it is comparable to a retirement from a community to become a solitary, which although not immoral, it exposes one’s dependents to becomesusceptible. Suicide is not the option to go for and Hume shows ridicule towards the act(Honderich 902).

Supporters

However, supporters of suicide embrace it on the ground of ending suffering as a result of old age, mental illnesses or incurable terminal diseases,depicting that permanent suffering is not the way to go but rather suicide is better, to terminate their continued suffering. This way, the act is not considered irrational but a way to resolve actual problems and a way to escape suffering. Idealistically, somephilosopherstake the act as comforting as indicated by Herodotus who points out incase life becomes a burden;death is always the refugeto be sought. This concept has been asserted by Schopenhauer who argues that suicide is not wrong as regarded by many people, neither does it portray cowardice but rather, every individual is entitled to his own life. He does not consider it as being immoral but as aright, comparing suicide after immensesufferings as having to wake up after an awful nightmare. It is a solution to personal pains and is not in any way a rejection of will to refuse to pleasures of life (Cholbi pr. 43).

From liberalism, an individual is given a right to life, which is their belonging and should therefore be free to handle it in the manner one wishes to, without being forced to live or die.Every person is entitled on thechoice to life or death and their choices should be respected.Suicide is regarded as a basic right by Thomas Szasz, maintaining that freedom calls for possession of life and person while choosing to terminate it is a basic right, claiming that being forced to life portrays that one has no self-belonging but is owned by others (1 & 2). AIDitionally, a suicidal mind depicts humanity freedom as ascertained by Jean Amery,claiming that oneacquiresself-recognition when freely choose to die (Cholbi pr. 32).

Some societies however, have remained neutral to the issue of suicide and some like Japan embrace it as an act of redemption to free from sins or personal weaknesses. This was common during the Samurai who saw it as being a right for Samurai class to portray bravery. Nihilist philosophers on the other hand consider that a person cannot create meaning to life pointing out that everything e.g. suicide has no meaning. From a utilitarian perspective, one can either oppose or embrace the act in that for a depressed individual, it puts an end their grief while on the other hand, one’s friends and relatives are left to mourn (Cholbi pr. 36).

In conclusion, suicide, in relation to philosophy is often a controversial topic, which is justified by others while rejected by many. Existentialists for instance awards no meaning to life and therefore justifies the act of taking one’s life and claims that one has a potential to award own meaning to life (Paterson 15).Insteadof misery, many philosophers opt for suicide while some like Confucians claims that if one cannot adhere to moral values, he would rather be dead. They regard loyalty and a spirit of self-sacrifice for integrity moral values.Some philosophers question on the morality of those who are forced into the act against their will (Moreland &Geisler 94). However, in my opinion, sanctity of life itself should hinder one from contemplatingsuicide since life is given freely and should therefore be taken away freely.

Works Cited

Campbell, Robert and Collinson, Diane.Ending Lives. Oxford: Basil Blackwell.1988. Print.

Cholbi, Michael, “Suicide”, The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Jul. 2008.  June 7, 2011.             <http://plato.stanford.edu/archives/fall2009/entries/suicide/>.

Craighead, Edward &Nemeroff, Charles.The Corsini Encyclopedia of Psychology and      Behavioral Science, Volume 4. New York: John Wiley and Sons, 2002. Print.

Honderich,Ted. The Oxford companion to philosophy.Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2005.      Print.

Kant,Immanuel.The metaphysics of morals. New York: Cambridge University Press, 1996.           Print.

Mill, John Stuart & Carlyle, Thomas. Autobiography of J.S. Mill & on Liberty; Characteristics,      Inaugural AIDress at Edinburgh & Sir Walter Scott: The Five Foot Classics, Vol. XXV (in 51 Volumes). New York: Cosimo, Inc., 2010. Print.

Moreland, James and Geisler, Norman.The Life and Death Debate. Westport: Greenwood Press.   1990, Print.

Paterson, Craig. Assisted suicide and euthanasia: a natural law ethics approach. Hampshire,          England: Ashgate Publishing, Ltd., 2008. Print.

Singer, Peter.  Practical Ethics. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.2011. Print.

Szasz, Thomas. Fatal Freedom: The Ethics and Politics of Suicide. Syracuse: Syracuse       University Press.2002. Print.