Thoughts on Suicide?

Question:What where these philosophers thoughts on suicide?

A. Socrates
B. William James
C. Wollstonecroft
D. Hume
E. Kant
F. Your own

*anwser one or all

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker: What where these philosophers thoughts on suicide?

A. Socrates
B. William James
C. Wollstonecroft
D. Hume
E. Kant
F. Your own

*anwser one or all

E. Kant would find suicide wrong because of a "duty to ourselves" (Duty is an important variable in his philosophical Categorical Impertive). And one should not treat themselves as in end in themselves. - more specifically can be read about in this "Duties Toward the Body in Regard to Life"

*edit*

Now that I have more time-
A. Socrates - not so sure... I do know he has a forced suicide of hemlock! Heh. He'd probably question after question you of why you were contemplating suicide at all.

D. Hume actually wrote on essay called "Of Suicide" http://comp.uark.edu/~mpianal/hume.htm where I quote "I believe that no man ever threw away life, while it was worth keeping" aka Believing every life is worth living be it vile or pure for if life werent worth living then why do we have life in the first place or at all?

While I have heard some of James philosophy its more/so been pertrained to Divisons of Labor so I cant contest for his ideology on suicide. And as far as Wollstonecroft goes I have no clue his ideology.

My opinion on suicide is that everyone should be allowed to make a decision through autonomy as long as it doesnt harm a duty to others ... :)

Its always a permanent solution for a temporary problem. The worst thing that can be done to ones life is to end it themselves on purpose. Your life was given to you and you should make the most out of it. Don't let someone or something make you think otherwise. Email me if u ever think like that. we can talk.

my thoughts are that it's every ones right to choose whether to live or die. And when they'll die. And how they'll die. Nobody else's. And it's very presumptuous to think otherwise.

I don't know about the others but I see it as nothing more than the coward's way out. Have I been depressed? Hell yes. But I never once considered suicide. I just don't find it acceptable and I can't honor someone who has committed suicide. If I could bring them back to life and beat them I would.

F. Not a good idea

. i dont know their thoughts....
but a friend of my mothers hung himself recently
so, on the off-chance that this a cry for help
[yeah, it dozen;t sound like it but,...]
just talk t someone....

I am going to answer F. My own.

My thoughts on suicide is, I think that it is selfish. I feel that when people think of committing suicide, they obviously don't think of the affects that it is going to have on other people Things like that really traumatize people for the rest of their lives. The person who committed suicide, does not have to live with the nightmares or the sadness. They could have tried to get some help, but instead, they took the cowardly way out, and now has put the burden on someone else.

One religion says that you'll be punished and another claims that if you do it for them, you'll get a reward. I wish that God could straighten out the mess with the religions.

suicide solves nothing. It only removes a person from the picture. It never changes the situation for the better... If you are having trouble and you are married, you have now, by killing added more tension and stress to your spouse's life... funeral, no death benefits... explaining your actions to others, blaming themselves for your actions... therapy... and if you left behind children, they would forever think they drove you to it... they would mess up every relationship they get into, to avoid hurting someone like they hurt you, so they don't kill another person... this is psychology and how it works...
Suicide is selfish... unless used to in an act of war and you are avoiding becoming a POW... that's different. You take your life to protect your country any secrets they trusted you with and you end your personal suffering... easier to bear by the general population, though they might not see at first, you reasoning.

i know what Kant would think. He wouldn't approve at all. Basically he says you should ask yourself, could this action be adopted by the rest of society? If not, it is immoral according to the Categorical Imperative.

this is extreme oversimplification of his philosophy. but the short answer is that he doesn't approve of suicide.

Philosophically speaking i think Hume would find it pointless....saying that to judge whether its a right or wrong act would be impossible to decide

Suicide is a sin and will be punished...

My mother committed suicide after 3 attempts over the years. She was an alcoholic and schizophrenic. The first time was when I was 16 (she wrapped the car around a phone pole on purpose), then when I was 18 (I had to clean up all the blood from that one when she slit her wrists and then I had to quit college for 6 months to support my 2 sisters while she was in an asylum) and the last when I was 30 and she finally succeeded (she took her whole bottle of anti-psychotic meds on top of a bottle of vodka). One little part of me was relieved, for her and for us kids. She made our life hell and I knew life for her was hell too. The other part of me was PISSED OFF for her selfishness. I am still mad at her now 20 years later and can't forgive her.

F.

To put suicide in perspective, I'll look at 2 things. First, the arguments against it, and second, how an opposing concept compares.

1. Suicide is cowardly, doesn't solve problems, doesn't make the world better yada yada... these are the arguments in general against it.

2. Lets look at giving birth, or conceiving a child. This can be cowardly too (misery loves company?). This can also bring more problems to the world (not another carbon negative). This can also make the world worse (you think your child will grow up to be an angel?)

I can only conclude that suicide is one of man's tendencies, no different from our tendency to make children.

F. Suicide is the ultimate cowardly act of selfishness.

E. The worst of the worst. Avoids duty and avoids "good will" (traits that are desired in a human).
F. Your way of saying, "I retire from this difficult battle even though many have accomplished this life with similar hardships."