The Morality of Suicide
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.15273/hpj.v1i1.10589Abstract
The motivation behind attempting suicide ranges from egoistic to altruistic, with societal preconceptions varying significantly between the two. In this ethical review, moralist, relativist, and libertarian theories are utilized to explore the morality of suicide. The hedonistic act utilitarian theory, which assesses the righteousness of an action solely based on the amount of pleasure or displeasure it creates, is used to evaluate the morality of suicide. According to the beneficence principle, there is sometimes a moral justification for suicide to alleviate suffering. On the other hand, Mill‘s rule utilitarianism views actions by their effect on overall human happiness and directs us to perform actions that maximize utility. For some individuals, like those undergoing immense suffering, the right to painless suicide would maximize utility. Kantian theory focuses on an individual‘s duty to uphold honour, dignity, and rationality. Collectively, these three virtues set the foundation of Kantian deontology. Furthermore, the libertarian view emphasizes the inherent right of human beings to individual security, liberty, and property with minimum government intervention. Libertarians recognize that suicide can be a rational and reasonable response to intolerable suffering. The ethical theories have proven to be interdependent; together, they propel us toward a better understanding of the morality of suicide.
Riferimenti bibliografici
Beauchamp, T. L., Walters, L., Kahn, J. P., & Mastroianni, A. C. (Eds.). (2007). Contemporary issues in bioethics (7th ed.). Wadsworth.
Brassington, I. (2006). Killing people: What Kant could have said about suicide and euthanasia but did not. Journal of Medical Ethics, 32(10), 571–574. https://doi.org/10.1136/jme.2005.015420
Budić, M. (2018). Suicide, euthanasia and the duty to die. Filozofija i društvo, 29(1), 88-114. https://doi.org/10.2298/FID1801088B
Cholbi, M. (2015). Kant on euthanasia and the duty to die: Clearing the air. Journal of Medical Ethics, 41(8), 607–610. http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/medethics-2013-101781
Feldman, D. B. (2006). Can suicide be ethical? A utilitarian perspective on the appropriateness of choosing to die. Death Studies, 30(6), 529–538. https://doi.org/10.1080/07481180600742517
Fisher, J., Russell, J. S., Browne, A., & Burkholder, L. (Eds.). (2018). Biomedical ethics: A Canadian focus (3rd ed.). Oxford University Press.
Frey, R. G. (1999). Hume on suicide. The Journal of Medicine and Philosophy, 24(4), 336–351. https://doi.org/10.1076/jmep.24.4.336.5982
Ho, A. O. (2014). Suicide: Rationality and responsibility for life. The Canadian Journal of Psychiatry, 59(3), 141–147. https://doi.org/10.1177%2F070674371405900305
Singer, P. (2003). Voluntary euthanasia: A utilitarian perspective. Bioethics, 17(5–6), 526–541. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-8519.00366
Szasz, T. (2002). Fatal freedom: The ethics and politics of suicide. Syracuse University Press.
