Viewing Suicide from Kant's and Humes Eyes

John Stuart mill will not agree with committing suicide.Utilitarian do not agree with suicide. Utilitarian stress that it is appropriate when an action benefits the greatest number of individuals rather than an individual. In the case of suicide, it causes suffering to other people this could be emotionally. Some people might not be willing to let go of a loved one and they get hurt when the person chooses to commit suicide.

Suicide, whether it deemed honorable or not, is a choice made by an individual who fully understands the consequences of their decision. Regardless of whether one agrees with their reasoning. The action is a taboo act and will continue to be heavily stigmatized until our society can empathize with the rationality of the person who is desperate enough to commit such an

Some might say that suicide is unethical and a sin, no matter if the person commits it by

Kant argues that suicide is morally wrong by emphasizing the importance of human beings and how we are not a means to an end but an end in itself…and he argues that people who do in fact commit suicide are using suicide as a means to ending whatever they’re going through, such as pain. Therefore, according to his views on humanity and moral worth he strongly argues that suicide is morally wrong because humans are ends to themselves and should never be treated as a means…which is why he emphasizes that we ought to never commit suicide. Personally, I think Kant’s argument is a good one…to a certain degree and more importantly that you should not commit suicide, under any circumstance. However, furthermore I believe that the reason one really

The Church believes that suicide is a grave sin because it is going against God’s unique plan for each of us. Only God can call us out of this present life, we cannot choose when we want to die. The Church says that, lacking the love for healthy emotional growth and having psychological problems are two circumstances that diminish the gravity of the sin.

(. . .) If society creates a “right to suicide” and legalizes “physician-assisted suicide,” the message perceived by a suicide attempter is not likely to be, “We respect your wishes,” but rather, “we don’t care if you live or die.” I assure that this is very, very true. The human race is based on relying on other people, and when people do not rely on other people, or do not have anyone their for them, it eats that person up. Do not get me wrong, some people are just fine with being independent, but when someone feels like nobody sees them, they start to get messed up. Then that’s when depression and other mental illnesses start to mess with their mind. And legalizing assisted suicide in the world tells them they are basically alone, and the only thing someone will do is give them something that will kill them. Now please, think about that and tell me how humane that is. If someone were to look at the steps to being granted assisted suicide, they would question the whole process

I have very mixed feelings on this topic. What is suicide? By definition suicide is defined as the wilful,deliberate,and voluntary termination of one's life ( Humphrey,2012). I think at times taking your own life can be justified . Like if you are in a burning building and you jump out to keep from burning alive. I think that would be the only reason that would be justified. I also feel that suicide is very selfish choice. I believe that all taking your own life leaves a lot of pain for your family. My best friends father killed himself when I was in high school. The only thing that was accomplished by him killing himself was living his wife and two kids with the grief of trying figure out what they could have done better. He also

Perhaps one of the most debated topics in medical ethics, euthanasia or physician assisted suicide is nothing short of a fiasco regarding to which ethical principles should if any, be applied. After reviewing Peter Odianosen’s paper “Immanuel Kant’s Moral Theory as a Response to Euthanasia” I can see where issues may arise to invalidate using such theories as Kantian ethics. Odianosen never explicitly points out his own personal views on Kantian ethics applied to euthanasia and physician assisted suicide, therefore I must treat it as if he were a proponent.

As humans we are given the ability to choose what do with our life. This is called free will; however we never really know how much we actually affect people over the course of our lives based off the decisions we choose to make or not to make. When you die of old age or what is known as natural causes you are able experience a unique feeling, seeing your family and your success surround your bedside. However those who choose to successfully commit suicide you never get to experience seeing your success in this form. When you commit this act you are not only killing yourself but, you are killing all of your hopes and dreams. You are killing what you stand for and everything that connects to you. As David Hume writes in his Essays, Moral, Political,

This essay will focus on the contemporary issue of euthanasia. Euthanasia comes with the meaning of ‘good death’ or ‘dying well’. It is also derived from the Greek term euthanatos meaning ‘easy death’ and ‘mercy killing’ (Moonie, 2000)

According to the Center of Disease Control, “Suicide was the tenth leading cause of death for all ages in 2013.” Suicide is when someone takes their own lives and it is something that everyone has come into contact with. Weather is has been through the media or even a personal event. There are several causes on why people commit suicide, ranging from depression to a terminal illness. Even though there is varies aspects to suicide in the end it has the same result. Someone is taking their own life and surprisingly the number or suicides have been rising for the many years and it is something that many people ponder about.

The Catholic church says that no one can make an attempt on the life of an innocent person without opposing God's love for that person, without violating a fundamental right, and therefore without committing a crime of the utmost gravity. The Church also says that everyone has the duty to lead his or her life in accordance with God's plan. That life is entrusted to the individual as a good that must bear fruit already here on earth, but that finds its full perfection only in eternal life. It follows this up by saying that intentionally causing one's own death, or suicide, is therefore equally as wrong as murder; such an action on the part of a person is to be considered as a rejection of God's sovereignty and loving plan. Furthermore, suicide is also often the denial of a natural instinct to live, a flight from the duties of justice and charity owed to one's neighbour, to various communities or to the whole of society, although, as is generally recognized, at times there are psychological factors present that can diminish responsibility or even completely remove

Immanuel Kant’s ethics on suicide demand that an individual does not have the right over when their life ends, I will be arguing against these philosophies. Suicide is viewed as an act that is not permissible whatsoever to Kant, because we as humans are subject to the wants of a higher being. Therefore, we do not have the free will of destroying and eliminating our bodies when the sole reason they were produced was for creating and living a full life (Infield). Although this sounds like a convincing argument, I believe that humans should not be subjected to the wants of a higher being. Many humans do not believe in a greater good and imposing this ideal on them is not permissible. Religion plays a large role in Kant’s ethics, and I find that to be unrealistic considering not everyone practices a religion. I will discuss why living for a higher being is not a suitable reason for continuing one’s life, if that is the only reason one holds back from committing this act. To be clear, I am not advocating that suicide is a respectable answer, however I believe that as iniquitous as it may be to take one’s life, it is not an act that can’t outright be disallowed. I will discuss why free will is such an important and applicable reason for why Kant’s philosophy on suicide is not realistic. I will also be focusing on Kant and his belief in The Categorical Imperative, and how his views of suicide contradict this moral guide.

Suicide is never a good thing. But sometimes, there are some people, the terminally ill, the disabled, and the elderly, that look to it for a dignified release. They believe that, being in their condition, they have every right to take their own life.

Let us start our discussion with utilitarianism. Utilitarianism is a moral theory that rests upon consequences. Mary Litch, a former philosophy teacher for Yale University, states that to maintain a utilitarian society, we must do the acts that “maximize happiness [social utility].” Often, the thought of suicide does not seem to follow through this sense of social utility, but it can. For example, suicide for those who are sick. When people are sick, especially terminally sick, they take up valuable time and space. Families are forced to watch the ones they love wither away into nothingness, all the while using resources. However, a utilitarian would argue that if they, those who are sick, were to commit suicide, they could “go out” on their