Why is suicide the most debated topic in philosophy? There are many causes for a suicide, and generally the most obvious ones were not the most powerful. Rarely is suicide committed reflection. What sets off the crisis is almost always unverifiable. It is hard to fix the precise instant, the subtle step when the mind opted for death, it is easier to take away from the act itself the consequences it implies. Showing that the When learning about Humes one of the most interesting parts of his philosophical theory was suicide. He blatantly attacks others’ views, that we have a job and duty to God, to live and in turn to not kill ourselves. He tries to challenge the rationality of suicide and unfortunately does not come to a complete …show more content…
Thinking you are better off dead can be due to many causes whether it is emotional stress or even knowing death is inevitable. Those who contemplate suicide or have made attempts believe that there is no other solution. Humes ask the question. Are you actually better off dead because you believe something better is on the other side or is it due to the suffering that would follow if life were continued? What is actually bad about death? Of course all our material possessions we worked hard for would be memories left behind to our families and friends. While our bodies decay, who is to say we aren’t escaping the worst? For all we know, death can lead us to the “greener” side. If the final conclusion is that sufferance would cease if life ended, then the next question to ask would be can you trust morally that you are better off dead? Considering the belief that death would make one feel better, looking at the pros and cons of a decision like suicide may be unseen because one cannot think clearly. Therefore, truly wishing for life to end, one will see more negatives than positives and create false and unclear judgment. If it is found that yes is the answer to both questions, then even that conclusion would be by the person considering the action. If the answer is no to even one question then it is not considered rational. The thought is crazy by the eyes of an outsider but perfectly rational
Humans make choices daily, both through reasoning and how they are feeling in that moment. There is a collection of external factors that result in choices that lead to an individual to both reason and feel some sort of emotion. Objectively speaking, there is a no fine line between reasoning and how one feels, however there seems to be a distinct difference between the philosophers Immanuel Kant and David Hume views on the matter. Both are life changing philosophers with very opposing views. One sees the feelings in human nature while the other seems to see nothing but rationality. One can argue both are used but according to these two there is only one or the other dominating the brain of individuals. Both philosophers give a compelling insight as to which is truly dominant, and out of the many examples they use to prove a point , there is a similar example put into both theories, suicide. This morbid topic is an interesting debate because many people have opposing views as whether it 's 's negative or positive, right or wrong, justifiable or injustice. Basically, whatever the morality of it is. I believe it is morally justifiable or permissible, based on Hume 's views and that he has a more humanistic and better approach than Immanuel Kant. To understand this, one has to briefly understand the ideals that both Kant and Hume portray.
The act of suicide is describes by Hamlet as being both desirable and morally and religiously reprehensible. In Act 1, Scene 2, Hamlet expresses his desire to die, and then he also stated that God had the law that forbidding suicide. This can be seen when he says, "O, that this too too solid flesh would melt thaw and resolve itself into a dew! Or that the Everlasting had not fix’d His canon ‘gainst self-slaughter!" based on his
Suicide under circumstances of extreme suffering is the morally right action as opposed to the alternative, living in pain. J.S. Mill’s Utilitarian ideals provide strong reasoning to support suicide in instances of severe pain, while Kant’s moral theory of the categorical imperative provides reasoning against taking one’s own life. Mill’s principle of utility is the maximization of pleasure and the reduction of pain. Mill regards happiness as the greatest good in life and all actions should be performed as long as they have the tendency to produce pleasure. Mill also introduces the Harm Principle. The Harm Principle is used to determine whether coercion is justifiable based on the impact of individual
IV. Some would say that there are religious issues with suicide, but according to “Clarifying Christianity” the Bible speaks in Exodus (20) verse 1-17 that we should not murder. That is often taken out of context and one cannot simply murder their own self.
Suicide is, according to Sartre, “an opportunity to stake out our understanding of our essence as individuals in a godless world” (Stanford, 2004). Fundamentally, existentialism argues all individuals are free and therefore responsible for their actions. Thus, it is up to the individual to create an ethos of personal ideology, which is the only way one is able to rise above the human condition of suffering, death and finality (Guigon, 2001). Suicide is seen as the individual’s act of giving in to the absurdity of human life. In other words, when a human is unable to create meaning out of the absurdity that surrounds him or herself, her or she live the typical life of pain, suffering, death and thus make suicide a natural act of existence
Hamlet's to be or not to be soliloquy, illuminates something that crosses every human's mind, even if only for a split second; to live or die, fight or cry. Sometimes the world can get to a person, and when allowed to manifest, it can be hurtful. Suicide is a choice when things get tough, but a cowardly act. Life is precious and the only way to succeed must be to be in it; therefore, living. Suicide doesn't terminate a problem, but hides it. People will be judged sooner or later by the powers that be.
Thesis: While Suicide is a permanent solution to a temporary problem, I believe That Suicide is wrong.
Can suicide be justified as morally correct? This is one of the many questions Immanuel Kant answers in, “The Groundwork of the Metaphysic of Morals”. Kant discusses many questions with arguable answers, which explains why he is one of the most controversial philosophers still today. Throughout Kant’s work, multiple ideas are considered, but the Categorical Imperative is one of the most prevalent. Though this concept is extremely dense, the Categorical Imperative is the law of freedom that grounds pure ethics of the metaphysics of ethics. Categorical imperatives are the basis of morality because they provoke pure reasons for every human beings actions. By the end of his work, one will understand Kant’s beliefs on morality, but to explain
After cancer and heart disease, suicide accounts for more years of lives lost than any other cause of death. Humans commit suicide for a variety of reasons. Perhaps they lost a loved one, or maybe nothing is going right in their lives. As they live on, with nothing going right for them, they become more reckless, and may begin to have a different point of view on death. In Hamlet, Hamlet contemplates the easy way out of his life when nothing goes right for him. Hamlet’s attitude towards suicide and death become more reckless as the play progresses.
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,
Whatever a religion may offer as it's belief about suicide, the followers of that religion do not always uphold that belief. At Masada, for example, a sect of fervently religious Jews known as Zealots held off Roman invaders for two years. When it became apparent that defeat was inevitable, their leader convinced the remaining nine hundred and sixty of them to commit suicide (Flanders 5). And Michel de Montaigne, a Christian writer living in France in the mid sixteenth century wrote five essays arguing that suicide is a matter of personal choice, and it is a viable option under some circumstances (OCRT 1).
Hume begins his argument by stating that “If Suicide be criminal, it must be a transgression of our duty either to God, our neighbour, or ourselves.” (Hume, On Suicide, pg. 55). However, he claims that suicide is not always a violation of our duty to God, our neighbours, or ourselves. Due to the lack of any scriptural prohibitions against suicide, it can be assumed that suicide is not entirely a transgression. The main reason why it is condemned in many popular beliefs is because altering the length of one’s life is not permitted. Hume argues that if the alteration of the length was an issue, then taking medicines and being treated would be a sin as well. But because that is not the case, and medicines are not impious, suicide can’t be so either. (Jackman, Lecture notes, pg. 2). The next premise of the argument is directed to the society as whole. The argument that
Kevin Briggs is a retired California Highway patrol officer, who spent much of his years “patrolling the southern end of Marin, county which includes the Golden Gate Bridge” (Briggs).As many may connote this bridge with much positivity such as, to have a great view of San Francisco, others may connote it as the bridge that took their loved one . This bridge has been used numerous times for a suicide attempt. Suicide according to Vernon J. Geberth, M.S., M.P.S., is defined as the intentional taking of one’s own life (Geberth.). At a recent Ted Convention, Kevin delivered his inspiring and courageous speech titled “The Bridge Between Suicide and Life”, which argues the many consequences of suicide and the lasting effects it has on their loved ones. One of the main topics Kevin mentions in his speech is the fact that suicide is preventable and it doesn’t necessarily need to happen. In the audience of Kevin’s TED Talk were women and men who may have faced suicidal thoughts and or currently suffering from the loss of a loved one due to suicide and even the general population that may not be experiencing none of the following but are simply just listening for future references.Rhetorically, Kevin conveys this argument through rhetorical approaches such as rhetorical questions, logical evidence and even personal experience.
Many people think of dentistry and other healthcare careers as stressful professions and the media has repeatedly represented dentists as health care workers that are at a high risk of committing suicides. Although suicide is fatal, in cases of surviving of an attempt, it still has physically and psychologically devastating consequences not only for the suicide attempt survivors but also for their relatives and close friends1. This paper reviews the studies about suicide among the dentists to analyse profession-related stressors that put dentists at a high risk for suicide and explore possible preventive strategies and treatments.
Judging whether life is or is not worth living amounts to answering the fundamental question of philosophy. "(The Myth of Sisyphus). This is a philosophical statement to some others as with Camus see this a true and evident problem. So many will turn this into a argument for which no side could win. The argument cannot be won by many because they simply will not take their own selves out of the equation. One of the top reasons a person is said to want to die is that the individual has a philosophical desire to die. This desire can be broke down into different patterns or traits the person holds deep inside themselves, also there could be outside factors influencing this. Doctor Alex Lickerman of the University of Chicago states, "These people aren’t depressed, psychotic, maudlin, or crying out for help. They’re trying to take control of their destiny and alleviate their own suffering, which usually can only be done in death."( reasons why people comment suicide). These people are not clinically depressed, they are making the choice to take control of their own destiny. Taking control of one's own destiny or life is not something that is looked down upon in the normal everyday society. In today's world it is extremely important that people be themselves and with so many sub-cultures for the people of this world to fall into people do not want to conform to everyday society. Suicide is considered wrong to some