I have noticed that whenever i read a philosopher/spiritual master/thinker, i first check his view on Suicide

[Suicideisnirvana]

If he's anti-suicide, i judge that there is nothing whatsoever to be gained from his philosophy. If it's his opinion that we have an obligation to live the life we never chose and at all costs, for me it is not only indicative of dubious thinking, but also of being under the spell of the most crude and the most mechanistic biological drives, of the dominant narrative, which surely can't be compatible with any profound thinking or insightful vision, and also a lack of empathy.

Si only delve into the works of thinkers who are at-least pro-choice. For instance i was reading through some quotes of Nisargadatta Maharaj ( a hindou guru, i wanted to discover what's Advaita Vedanta), but i only went through the book after searching for "suicide" and finding this (picture attached)

Now i know i can read him, even if he's against suicide in other contexts, it at least shows it's nuance, it shows there is a profundity and flexibility of thinking, a capacity to question the dominant narrative.

 

[Neverod]

That's a good way to "measure" the content of any of his writings, a good philosopher/thinker should be able to be flexible and try to understand other points of view, but also discuss it and even present points against the "two" (usually there's two) sides.

 

[Lethe]

I really want a philosophy megathread, that compiles a bunch of thoughts on suicide.

 

[CrushedHopes]

If you want my personal view on life, here you go:

Those that are suffering (mentally, physically, or both) have a right to end themselves. But I would recommend that they continue to live until they've exhausted all of their options. If you have a chronic or terminal illness, then you owe it to yourself to pass away peacefully in your final moments, rather than die a painful and agonizing death succumbing to the illness.

 

[Suicideisnirvana]

If you want my personal view on life, here you go:

Those that are suffering (mentally, physically, or both) have a right to end themselves. But I would recommend that they continue to live until they've exhausted all of their options. If you have a chronic or terminal illness, then you owe it to yourself to pass away peacefully in your final moments, rather than die a painful and agonizing death succumbing to the illness.

The important thing isn't whether you think they should still go through hell till they suffocate before chosing a way out, the important thing is whether you think they should be forced to follow your philosophy of life or should have the autonomy to chose for themselves. If you're in the second case, that's all we ask for.

 

[charlie_z]

Si only delve into the works of thinkers who are at-least pro-choice. For instance i was reading through some quotes of Nisargadatta Maharaj ( a hindou guru, i wanted to discover what's Advaita Vedanta), but i only went through the book after searching for "suicide" and finding this (picture attached)

I like the criteria you've developed for seeking out writers you feel comfortable with. When I was in college, I went through a period of 'studying' a number of different philosophical and spiritual texts. Most took a strong position against suicide. Those that didn't rift on some long existential tracks often quarreling with the question around the absurdity of life, and then would just stop there. If you have any other authors you could recommend, I'd really getting even a short list of those writers.

I really want a philosophy megathread, that compiles a bunch of thoughts on suicide.

Yes! I would totally back that up. I have a friend who's in a bad way. He's not yet decided on his next course of action, but he's reading a lot of material on the practice of preparing for death. I think that would prove valuable to many of us here who still struggle with some of the propaganda that was foisted on us as young people.