Philosophy of Suicide

[Vivian]

I was recently reading about this and its amazing how philosophers were so ahead of their time. I feel like suicide is a choice and we shouldn't be obligated to live just because other people will miss us if we are gone.

As Schopenhauer stated, "It is an extravagant demand that a man who no longer cares to live for himself, should still go on living as a mere machine for the benefit of others"

 

[Alucard]

If life is not a duty, then there is no reason to condemn someone to live if they do not want it (or more).

Sartre, Camus and Cioran have shown that life, in itself, is absurd: we have no reason to be. This is the proof of our freedom: we have no assigned utility like material things.

To say that life has meaning in itself would mean that everything makes sense, including Nazism and world hunger, which is morally unacceptable.

Life is absurd, so it belongs to us: it does not make sense, so we choose the meaning we give it.

But if we do not want - or fail - to make sense of it, there is no reason why we can not end our lives, except selfishness and the stupidity of others.

" Did I request thee, Maker, from my clay / To mould me Man, did I solicit thee / From darkness to promote me ?" Milton, Paradise Lost

 

[Lifeisatrap]

Yeah, unfortunately the message always seems to die with the messenger when it challenges the standard pro life narrative. Only to be left with motivational speakers/ self help gurus.

 

[Alucard]

Yeah, unfortunately the message always seems to die with the messenger when it challenges the standard pro life narrative. Only to be left with motivational speakers/ self help gurus.

Totally agree...

Maybe if we continue to defend this right, one day, it will be recognized ... But societally, nothing seems to invite optimism ...