Philosophy And Suicide Essay, Research Paper
Suicide has always been common throughout history, reaching back as far as the beginning of civilization. Reasons for taking one’s life could range from preserving personal honor, physical decline, and love for a dead spouse, to spiritual reasons like the search for truth, becoming closer to virtue, or the belief their death could advance a cause. The religious and philosophical outlook of the period in which a person lived helped to shape their view and society’s view on suicide. This outlook also determined the motives or reasons a person might take their own life. To see how a certain era could persuade such views and motives, I will look at the Hellenic and Hellenistic Ages, the Roman Empire, the Old and New Testament, and the early Christian era for the connection between people’s religion or philosophical beliefs and suicide. The first period used as evidence of the way certain time periods shaped beliefs of suicide is the Hellenic Age. To start with, the Hellenic Age began around 800 BC and was marked by growing economic wealth and the start of an efficient writing system. This writing system led to the rise of authors and intellectuals, one of the most well known being Homer during this period. His epics helped to shape the religious beliefs of the Greek people in the early Hellenic Age. At first people relied on the mythological deities of epics like Homer’s to explain worldly events. As time wore on, intellectuals such as Thales, Anaximander, and Pythagoras began applying reason to Greek religion and to the understanding of natural phenomenon and human events. This new found theory led to the replacing of Homer’s mythology with reason, and people started to question why certain events occurred in the world. One of the human events these intellectuals tried to explain with reasoning was suicide. Pythagoras and his followers, the Pythagoreans, were against the act of suicide. They believed as a punishment for sins in an earlier life, the soul was entrapped in the body. Therefore suicide seemed to them similar to a prisoner escaping from jail and not serving their sentence for a crime. Suicide was unacceptable to Pythagoras and his followers who thought a person has to pay for sins committed in an earlier life (Wiesner pg. 96). This view on suicide was just one of the Hellenic Age. If a person was not a Pythagorean, their view on suicide could be somewhat different. An example of this contrast in beliefs is Socrates and his followers. For these people, their goal in life as philosophers was to attain truth, knowledge, and wisdom. To attain these things mentioned, the soul must be apart from the body, which hinders reasoning by deceiving a person through such things as sight and sound. As long as the soul is in the body it is contaminated by evil and cannot reach truth. Therefore suicide to Socrates and those who shared his beliefs meant a short cut to finally find pure knowledge without having to wait for nature to take its course. In Plato’s book The Phaedo Socrates says, “And in this way, freeing ourselves from the foolishness of the body and being pure, we shall, I think, be with the pure and shall know ourselves all that is pure-and that is, perhaps, the truth” (Wiesner pg. 83). Socrates’ view was not accepted by most people and led to his execution after being found guilty by the courts. The quote above was stated right before he was to be injected with poison, which clearly shows he welcomed death. The next period to note as influential in shaping beliefs was the Hellenistic Age. The Hellenistic Age began after Alexander the Great conquered the Persian Empire, therefore stretching his reign to India. The vast land that Alexander’s empire reached caused Greeks to be in contact with eastern ideas that helped reshape their thoughts yet again. This new philosophy showed a conquest for individual intellectual peace, instead of the peace of the city-state that was taught in the Hellenic Age. One of the philosophies that came out of the Hellenistic Age was Stoicism led by the philosopher Zeno, who himself committed suicide after breaking a bone in a minor accident which to him was a sign of physical decline. Stoicism carried the belief that all people were of one city and one race having one life and order. The order was received through divine reason, or Logos, which people could choose to reject. The virtuous person, although, would strive to achieve happiness by living in harmony with the Logos. Epictetus, a Stoic philosopher, writes in his book Discourses about suicide. He believes that suicide is acceptable as a Stoic when one cannot live in accord with reason and the Logos. Even though Stoics believed one should accept life’s trials as part of the overall plan of the universe, if a person could not live with the plans of the Logos there was really no sense in living (Wiesner pg. 69). Another philosophy during the Hellenistic Age that shaped people’s beliefs was led by Epicurus and known as Epicureanism. He taught that people should withdraw from public affairs and social responsibilities. People should abandon the pursuit of worldly success and seek spiritual tranquility instead. Epicurus also believed that the world consisted of matter made up of atoms that were released after death. Therefore to him and his followers suicide meant nothing because after death the body has no feeling (Wiesner pg. 84). Epicureanism was more of a philosophy carried out in the present life instead of an afterlife, which explains why death meant nothing to them. The last philosophy of the Hellenistic Age and the one that promoted suicide the most during this period was the group named Cynics. They rejected social conventions and urged followers to give up their possessions to live lives of self-sufficiency, much like the belief of Epicureans. The Cynics were prepared to commit suicide if anything blocked their quest for the virtuous life. The following statement made by Diogenes best sums up the Cynic belief. “The conduct of life requires either reason or the noose” (Wiesner pg. 69).
The Hellenistic philosophies of Stoicism and Epicureans were accepted by most of the people in the Roman Empire in its early days. Greek deities were replacing the traditional Roman gods and suicide was just as common as in other ages. One example was Portia, the wife of Brutus, Caesar’s assassin, who took her own life after her husband killed himself after being defeated by Caesar’s heir Octavian (Wiesner pg. 67). Yet as the Roman Empire began to weaken, people started to look elsewhere for their religious answers. One religion that gained popularity was Christianity, which promised an afterlife which most people found appealing. The Old Testament of the Bible lies as the foundation of the Christian belief and changed the way people thought about a lot of things, one being suicide. There are many examples of people committing suicide in the Old Testament, but the scripture is vague as to whether it condemns or supports this act of self-destruction. Abimelech, Samson, Saul, Ahithophel, and Zimri are some classic examples of suicide in the Old Testament. Abimelech , while attacking Thebez, gets struck in the head by a stone thrown by a woman. Instead of losing honor by being killed by a woman, he orders his armor-bearer to stab him. The death of Samson seems to be one of martyrdom and is praised by the scripture. Samson kills himself along with the Philistines as a way of avenging God’s honor because the Philistines were worshippers of idols. Saul’s death is similar to that of Abimelech’s because he too asks his armor-bearer to stab him before his enemies can kill him themselves. Instead of being made a mockery of, he ends up killing himself since his armor-bearer refuses to do so. The last two suicides I want to mention are ones out of humiliation. Ahithophel commits suicide after he is humiliated when Absalom will not take his advice, which was highly esteemed by most people of his time. The death of Zimri, who was a great military general, results from embarrassment caused by losing his own city in battle and it being overtaken. This last example is the only one where the Bible states that suicide is a sin ” and died, because of the sins which he committed, doing evil in the sight of the Lord, walking in the way of Jerobo’am, and for his sin which he committed, making Israel into sin” (Wiesner pg. 86-88). For this reason most Christians have long been confused as to the Bible’s take on suicide. In the death of Samson suicide is praised while in the last example of Zimri, suicide is seen as a sin. The New Testament, which also is central to Christian belief, has similar accounts of suicide. Judas commits the most famous act of suicide after he has betrayed Jesus by delivering him to Pilate for execution. Another example is the mass suicide at Masada that was one considered noble by the people who committed it because they thought they were dying to save their dignity. Instead of letting the Romans capture them they rebelled by committing suicide so they would not become Roman slaves (Wiesner pgs. 88-91). Since the Bible was seen as contradicting on the subject of suicide, many people had mixed beliefs. In the early Christian Era, St. Augustine wrote a book titled City of God that explained the Christian belief of suicide. St. Augustine was one of the greatest early church fathers and had a lot of influence on the thoughts of Christian believers. In his book, Augustine makes it clear that suicide is wrong and calls it homicide against oneself and no different from killing another person. He used Judas’s suicide as an example, and writes, “When Judas killed himself, he killed an accursed man, and he ended his life guilty not only of Christ’s death but also of his own, because, though he was killed to atone for his crime, the killing itself was another crime of his” (Wiesner pg. 91). As evidence of this statement Augustine uses the commandment “Thou shall not kill.” He interprets this commandment from God to mean any man including yourself. He also mentions in his book that suicide should in no means be a way of achieving greatness like early philosophers had thought. St. Augustine writes, “A mind may be called greater that can endure instead of fleeing from a distressful life” (Wiesner pg. 93). The only exception he points out for a Christian committing suicide is if the death is ordered by the Lord himself, which was the case with Samson in the Old Testament. “When God gives a command and makes it clear without ambiguity that he gives it, who can summon obedience to judgment” (Wiesner pg. 94)? Through the examples listed from different periods throughout history, one can conclude that a person’s beliefs on suicide heavily depended on the age or era in which they lived. If St. Augustine had lived in the Hellenic Age before Christianity was formed, his opinions would no doubt be different. Also people in the Hellenic Age had no idea of Jesus or the Bible, and drew only from the philosophies they did have. The motives behind suicide and whether it is acceptable also rely on a person’s religion, spiritual thoughts, and the society in which they live. Therefore it is hard to decide the rights or wrongs of suicide unless there are shared beliefs by all people, which history shows is impossible.
Другие работы по теме:
Analysis Of Janice Mirikitani Essay Research Paper
For anyone who has ever had someone they know commit suicide Janice Mirikitani s Suicide Note allows you to see what makes a person take their own life. While reading this poem, the reasons behind this college girl s suicide are given. She has written this note as an apology to her parents. She compares herself to a sparrow, wishes she was someone else, and believes that if she is not perfect there is no point in going on.
Contemplation Essay Research Paper The poem
Contemplation Essay, Research Paper The poem, “Suicide Note,” by Janice Mirikitani, depicts an Asian-American female college student who committed suicide by jumping out of her dormitory window. Her last words, thoughts, and feelings were left behind in a suicide note, describing why this had to happen.
Teen Suicide Essay Research Paper Adolescence is
Teen Suicide Essay, Research Paper Adolescence is the time in which people discover their coping mechanisms and which way is most beneficial for them to deal with stress and new situations. These learning experiences can often be difficult as adolescents have very little knowledge and experience in how to deal with these new situations and stress.
Physician Assisted Suicide Essay Research Paper Scott
Physician Assisted Suicide Essay, Research Paper Scott DeBoer DeBoer 1 9-26-2001 Physician Assisted Suicide How could someone wake up every day sick, in constant pain and feeling horrible every minute of existence? This is not a good way to live from anybodies point of view. The time may come when suffering, just is not worth living.
Physican Assisted Suicide Essay Research Paper Physicianassisted
Physican Assisted Suicide Essay, Research Paper Physician-assisted suicide occurs when a physician helps a person take his or her own life by giving advice, writing a prescription for lethal medication, or assisting the individual with some device which allows the person to take his or her own life. The physician lends expertise, but the person does the act.
SucideA Essay Research Paper Suicide Solution
Sucide(A) Essay, Research Paper Suicide Solution I’m about to take up a position which is going to be deamed by some,if not all, as a terrible stand to take. As a matter of fact, if anyone wereto agree with me on ths subject, I’d be surprsed. For you see, rather thanarguing from the postion of suicide being an unjustified and inane way todie, I shall argue the other point.
Suicide Solution Essay Essay Research Paper
Suicide…..a serious problem that has no blanket solution. Thebasis of this essay is to write about the solution to a problem. In mycase, the ?problem? is suicide…and in suicide there is no real?solution?. There are many ways to help one who is suicidal, anddifferent precautions, such as: hotlines, counseling, and programs.Medications that you can prescribe to them also can help.
Euthanasia Essay Research Paper Assisted SuicideA great
Euthanasia Essay, Research Paper Assisted Suicide A great deal of debate surrounds the practice of assisted suicide. Lately, laws against voluntary euthanasia have been eased, although serious moral and legal questions still exist. Most opposition of assisted suicide comes from religious groups, including Christianity, Judaism, and Islam.
Assisted Suicide 4 Essay Research Paper ASSISTED
Assisted Suicide 4 Essay, Research Paper ASSISTED SUICIDE I feel that assisted suicide is a practice that should not only be legally acceptable, but socially acceptable as well. No one should be forced to live a life of pain and suffering. After all, aren’t we all guaranteed the rights of life, liberty, and happiness? If happiness means freedom from pain and suffering, then assisted suicide should be legalized.
Euthanasia And Assisted Suicide Essay Research Paper
EUTHANASIA AND ASSISTED SUICIDE In today’s society, euthanasia and assisted suicide is a major discussion. People, who are terminally ill or are depressed, are sometimes looking for a way out. They feel that their only hope is to kill themselves. Other people in the world feel that euthanasia and assisted suicide are morally wrong.
Suicide Essay Research Paper Every year thousands
Suicide Essay, Research Paper Every year thousands of teens die in the United States, not from cancer or car accidents, but by their own hand; they make the choice that they want to die, and they take their own life. Statistics conducted in 1996 reveal that every 42 seconds a teenager attempts suicide and every 16.9 minutes a teenager completes it.
The Apology Essay Research Paper The ApologyIn
The Apology Essay, Research Paper The Apology In The Apology by Plato, Socrates was giving his testimony before he was forced to commit suicide. He was trying to prove that death is better than living without one?s beliefs. He believed that he was innocent, going to a better place, and he was going to die anyway.
Richard Cory By Edwin Arlington Robinson Essay
?, Research Paper The Use of Death in Poetry Poems reveal many inside thoughts of the speaker that can be interpreted by the reader. Death is expressed quite often in poetic work because of the simplicity to be able to express feelings. Suicide, for an example, is a form of death that may be used in poetry and is usually portrayed in a negative fashion.
Suicide My Thoughts Essay Research Paper I
Suicide: My Thoughts Essay, Research Paper I have known many adolescents who have thought about suicide. People?s reasons for suicide just cannot be legit in most cases. Some reasons are: ?my girlfriend broke up with me? or ?people make fun of me? or how about ?I don?t have any friends?? Whatever the reason for the thought of suicide, there isn?t a valid one, unless we are dealing in euthanasia.
Life And Suicide Essay Research Paper Since
Life And Suicide Essay, Research Paper Since the beginning of time, people have been committing suicide. Self inflicted death, or suicide, can be defined as “choosing the mode, time, situation, or occasion for ending one’s life.” In general, the word suicide has a negative connotation and is looked upon unfavorably.
Suicide Essay Research Paper
“Why do people commit suicide? People usually attempt suicide to block unbearable emotional pain, which is caused by a wide variety of problems. (rockhford).
Euthanasia Essay Research Paper Retired professor and
Euthanasia Essay, Research Paper Retired professor and psychoanalyst Ernest Van den Haag, by defending the right to commit suicide, made an appeal to J.S. Mill?s principle. Van den Haag said that people should have the right to choose as they please, as long as no one else is hurt (Hallock 13). According to the constitution, people have the right to decide death, not the government (Dority 8).
Suicide Essay Research Paper Teenage years are
Suicide Essay, Research Paper Teenage years are the hardest times. Your having changes in your body, going through relationships, and trying to plan your future. When you go to look for answers, it seems like no one has them. That’s what starts teenagers to feel alone. When they feel this way they will try to “medicate” themselves by drugs and alcohol or violence.
Silas Deane Essay Research Paper Mysterious Death
Silas Deane Essay, Research Paper Mysterious Death of Silas Deane The authors of “The Strange Death of Silas Deane: The Problem of Selecting Evidence.”, James West Davidson and Mark Hamilton Lytle explore the skill of
Research Essay On Teenage Suicide Essay Research
Paper For my Research Essay I chose the subject of Teenage Suicide’, because the rate of suicide is too high and I want to know more about the causes, the ways we can prevent it, and I want to know the warnings made by a suicidal person. Suicide is a form of death in which an individual voluntarily and intentionally takes his or her life.
Euthanasia Essay Research Paper Euthanasia and Physician
Euthanasia Essay, Research Paper Euthanasia and Physician Assisted Suicide Should it be legalized? Whose life is it, anyway? Euthanasia is a word that means good death. Euthanasia normally implies that the act must be initiated by the person who wishes to commit suicide. But, some people define euthanasia to include both voluntary and involuntary termination of life.
Dr Kevorkian Essay Research Paper History and
Dr. Kevorkian Essay, Research Paper History and BackgroundDr Jack Kevorkian, a 70-year-old retired pathologist, has devoted most of his life to the campaign for assisted suicide. He has admitted helping more than 130 people to end their lives. To date only 48 have cases been documented, including the assisted suicide documented on 60 MinutesDr Kevorkian was born in 1928 in Pontiac, Michigan, to a family of Armenian immigrants.
Suicide 2 Essay Research Paper Suicide SolutionI
Suicide 2 Essay, Research Paper Suicide Solution I’m about to take up a position which is going to be deamed by some, if not all, as a terrible stand to take. As a matter of fact, if anyone were
Assited Suicide Essay Research Paper If you
Assited Suicide Essay, Research Paper If you had incurable disease that gave you six months to live and you were in incredible pain and were suffering, would you want to hang on for those last moments of torture? Assisted suicide is a very controversial topic. There are many people supporting it and many people opposing it.
Teen Suicide Essay Research Paper As if
Teen Suicide Essay, Research Paper As if parents did not have enough reasons to worry about their teenage children, what with drugs, drinking, and driving. Now a new concern has appeared within the last several years. I am talking about teenage suicide.
Suicide Essay Research Paper Social Problem Teen
Suicide Essay, Research Paper -Social Problem: Teen Suicide -Social Problem- Any problem that may cause pain and may affect a person?s life. ? Teen Suicide- Intentional and self-inflicted death.
Teenage Suicide Essay Research Paper Why is
Teenage Suicide Essay, Research Paper Why is teenage suicide on the rise: In todays stressful society suicide is an issue that teenagers are confronted with in their lives. There are many reasons for the growing number of teenage suicides are
View Of Teen Suicide Essay Research Paper
VIEW OF TEEN SUICIDE For some teenagers, divorce, the formation of a new family with stepparents and stepsiblings, or moving to a new community can be very unsettling and can intensify self-doubts. In some cases, suicide appears to be a “solution.” For example love, like in Romeo and Juliet. Two characters, so madly in love that when their parents wouldn’t bless their relationship that they took their own lives.
Assited Suicide Essay Research Paper The man
Assited Suicide Essay, Research Paper ?The man who, in a fit of melancholy, kills himself today would have wanted to live had he a week.?(Voltaire) In the U.S. assisted suicide has become all too common. Mr. Jack Kevorkian, otherwise known as Dr. Death, might be the reason for this unethical uprising. Assisted suicide in those who fear they are too old, mentally unstable, or suffering from an incurable illness, doesn?t solve any problems.
Teen Suicide Essay Research Paper The purpose
Teen Suicide Essay, Research Paper The purpose of this paper is to explain the causes of teen suicide. This paper will include statistics and some background information on suicide survivors. Also this report
Teen Suicide Essay Research Paper Teen SuicideThe
Teen Suicide Essay, Research Paper Teen Suicide The purpose of this paper is to explain the causes of teen suicide. This paper will include statistics and some background information on suicide survivors. Also this paper will discuss some warning signs of teen suicide.