Rant on Suicide

I was in a Barnes and Noble with Jacob a couple weeks ago, perusing magazines and books when I saw a collections of essays about the philosophical implications of suicide. This intrigued me. Not enough to buy it, but it got my mind working.

I had to write a short paper about this topic in my college Philosophy class. Sadly, I don't have a copy because it was a written test. But I'm sure I can remember most of my points. I don't have much evidence to back up my point because I'm not a walking encyclopedia of philosophers, but I can validly argue my point.

Descartes reasoned that "I think, therefore I am." This seems to relate that intelligence and its pursuit makes existence worthwhile. This statement has provided the thesis behind all of philosophy. If possible, I would like to take another stance and say it has a different meaning.

It can be interpreted that Socrates meant the pure act of thought justified existence. However, it could be meant that without thought, existence is nullified (death). While an obvious statement, this famous observation and its most basic interpretation is important because it establishes a major question of philosophy: death.

Now, it is not a huge leap to begin questioning whether life is worth living (Nietzsche made a career of it). The act of taking one's own life is at the heart of this question. Thus, the question begs: does suicide defy all philosophical reason?

— The act of suicide is a force unlike any other, because it is total control, the ultimate escape plan. In a life where everything is dependent on something outside of the individual's control, including birth, death lies in the hands of the individual. This might be the only sense of control the individual has in their entire lifespan.

But at what cost is the control? Isn't it better to have a sense of control in life than to exert it? It can be argued that the point of being able to end life one's life ends the only level of existence. It destroys everything to gain nothing.

— If death lies in the hands of the individual, that extends to other individuals. However, self-contained death, such as suicide, can be argued as inert or finite. Taking one's own life is incredibly different than taking another person's life. There are less philosophical implications and ethical questions between suicide and murder (for the sake of the argument, I will not delve into murder or self-assisted suicide).

Whereas murder causes others to grieve, suicide can still cause grief among those closely associated with the individual. It is still removing a life, something that can be viewed as narcissistic, selfish and cowardly.

— The act of suicide ends all pain and suffering, both physical and emotional. Life is enjoyable if it can be lived to the fullest of an individual's potential and to the point that it gratifies the individual. If life can not do that because of reduced physical capacity (illness, injury, malformations) or psychological trauma (emotional problems, mental illness), then suicide is a way to end that suffering and give the individual peace.

This is the only way I can somewhat see a value in suicide. If life can not be enjoyed to the point that pain of some sort is felt daily and to which there is no escape, then suicide is reasonable. The only problem is that while severe physical and psychological trauma do make life difficult, many people have chosen to live with them because they see the value of living. While pain, in all its forms, can ruin a life, some see elements that make life worth living. There are elements of life that make it worth experiencing while fighting through pain. This means that suicide to end pain is merely subjective and not a just act.

This last sentence pretty much sums all that can be said for suicide and its place in philosophy. Suicide is an act and a subjective one at that. Only the individual can know what truly ails him, what his true desires are and if living is worth the continued struggle with outside forces.