Viewing Suicide from Kant's and Humes Eyes

Viewing Suicide from Kant’s and Hume’s eyes

According to National Institute of Mental Health, “In 2007, it [suicide] was the tenth leading cause of death in the U.S., accounting for 34,598 deaths.” This statistic shows that even though the numbers compared to the entire population are small, it is rather common for people to deal with suicide around them and it is a major issue among people (NIMH). There are many different mixed emotions and views regarding suicide. Some people choose to believe that it is a mental state that makes a person feels the need to commit suicide. Others believe that it directly defies our duties to God, ourselves, and even others in society. It is morally wrong to commit suicide? There is a fine line between justifications whether suicide is okay or if it is morally wrong.

Immanuel Kant’s theory about suicide is that it is always morally wrong for a number of reasons. Not only is it wrong by god, it is misusing the freedom given to you as well as the duties you have towards yourself. Kant’s ethical view is that suicide is wrong no matter what the reason. The first reason that Kant gives as to why he believes this is the quote “It is forbidden by God because it is an abomination” (Kant). Kant mentions that it is abominable because it shows the “abuse of man’s freedom of action; he uses his freedom to destroy himself” (Kant). The second reason to believe is pointed out by Kant when he mentions that by making bad choices, people defy god and misuse their own. The third reason is mentioned in the quote “Man is free to dispose of his condition but not of his person” (Kant). He is basically stating that if man only values himself as an object, true happiness with decrease and therefore he would have no means...

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...no one ever wants someone they know to commit suicide and refrain from harming themselves, it does happen and it is understandable. People should realize what those that felt the need to commit suicide were feeling and not think of them as criminals as though they have defied God or even themselves.

Works Cited

"Suicide in the U.S.: Statistics and Prevention." NIMH RSS. National Institutes of Health, n.d. Web. . .

Kant, Immanuel. “Suicide” from LECTURES ON ETHICS, 1930. Reprinted by permission on Methuen & Co.

Hume, David. “Of Suicide” from ESSAYS MORAL, POLITICAL, AND LITERACY. Reprinted by permission of Liberty Fund, Inc., Liberty Classics, 1985.

Luper, Steven, and Curtis Brown. "The Individual Death: Is Suicide Wrong." The moral life. . Reprint. : , . . Print.