Discussion My argument for the right to suicide

[AbusedInnocent]

Many famous philosophers were against the right to suicide, and they have some really absurd arguments.

Philosophy of suicide - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

John Stuart Mill argued, in his influential essay "On Liberty", that since the sine qua non of liberty is the power of the individual to make choices, any choice that one might make that would deprive one of the ability to make further choices should be prevented. Thus, for Mill, selling oneself into slavery should be prevented in order to avoid precluding the ability to make further choices.

Basically he's saying that choosing to give up one's own sapience or ability to make choices is always a harm to them, I think that having significant cognitive abilities is a curse, you don't see cats complaining much?

From a deontological perspective, Immanuel Kant argues against suicide in Fundamental Principles of The Metaphysic of Morals. In accordance with the second formulation of his categorical imperative, Kant argues that, "He who contemplates suicide should ask himself whether his action can be consistent with the idea of humanity as an end in itself." Kant's theory looks at the act only, and not at its outcomes and consequences, and claims that one is ethically required to consider whether one would be willing to universalise the act: to claim everyone should behave that way.

Well yeah I do think every rational person should choose to kill themselves, human extinction means the end of all human suffering, also there's nobody left to complain about humans going extinct so it's literally perfect.

Hobbes and Locke reject the right of individuals to take their own life. Hobbes claims in his Leviathan that natural law forbids every man "to do, that which is destructive of his life, or take away the means of preserving the same." Breaking this natural law is irrational and immoral. Hobbes also states that it is intuitively rational for men to want felicity and to fear death most.

Can you prove that life is something positive and always worth preserving?

Aristotle in his 'discussion of courage, maintains that committing suicide to avoid pain or other undesirable circumstances is a cowardly act. In a later chapter [of Nicomachean Ethics], he further argues that suicide is unlawful and is an act committed against the interests of the state.

Ah yes, the state's right to exploit its citizens is clearly more important.

I want to add, to say that suicide is always irrational you must first prove that death is a harm, and so far nobody has been able to do that, in fact I think it's proven beyond reasonable doubt that death is always a benefit.

You also can't take away a person's right to die because that decision could really harm their friends/family/spouse/kids emotionally, would you also say that someone is not allowed to get a divorce if it would affect their spouse emotionally? only difference between these two cases is that marriage is a choice while we didn't choose to be born, so the right to suicide is just as inviolable as the right to divorce if not more.

Of course even if suicide is an inviolable right there are still cases where I would consider it immoral, if you have children who are still dependent on you financially it's almost always immoral to commit suicide, you brought them into this world without their consent and you owe them the best life possible, in virtually all cases the harm to your children will be greater than your relief, also maybe reconsider suicide if there are people who will be devastated by your death or will grieve for like months.

Would like to hear your thoughts.

 

[enduringwinter]

For a long time, in Asian cultures suicide was seen as natural and honourable. The ubiquitous (Western, and probably Christian, just my impression) anti-suicide attitude worldwide is very recent, the same as things like passport strength or foreign exchange that sprung up after WW1 and the US took control of the world.

 

[cosmic-freedom]

There's too little resources and too many people fighting for the same piece of bread."You'll succeed if you put in the work" is the trash that is fed by the highly successful folks to the less fortunate ones to keep the cycle running forever."Life is unfair" is thrown around by those who sit on their high horses and look down as the bottom of the barrel who feed on the scraps.They were lucky enough to be there.Among billions,who are fighting for a warm meal and a safe shelter,they were lucky enough to be born in a wealthy country that is home to world class facilities.What about the rest of us?Is it unjust to ask for a peaceful death when life is busy pampering a few and trampling the others

 

[TryAndStopMe]

It is frustrating to intellectualize suicide. I think it is a question of rights. If we as a society feel everyone has the human right to live, we as a society should show the same support and fervor for those who desire to die. If we truly have the right to life, we should have equal say to reject life and embrace death. If a member of society is denied death they don't have a right or freedom of choice. He/she/they are consequentially enslaved to life.

 

[zengiraffe]

Many famous philosophers were against the right to suicide.

It's because only the ones that argued against it became famous. Just as many argued for it but for the obvious reasons they were never got as popular.