The Morality of Suicide: The Divergent and Convergent Views

Introduction

The debate of whether of whether suicide is justified has been in the world of academia for many years. The opponents and proponents of the morality that surround the act have often times disagreed on when it is okay to take one's life and when it is not alright. While theologians and other scholars in the divide feel that there is no justification whatsoever for committing suicide, those that root for it argue that the act may be necessary depending on the circumstances. Statistics have it that much as people do not want to acknowledge it, suicide is among the ten causes of death in the world today. People of all ages right from teenagers to the elderly commit suicide on a global scale. Morgan, (217) notes that incidences of suicide are on the rise in recent years. To that effect, the current essay will argue that although suicide is not morally justifiable, there are cases when suicide is necessary and thus morally justifiable.

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The Convergent Views on Morality

The definition of suicide is what may help explain why some people find suicide immoral. Different people with diverse schools of thought on the topic may agree on substantive moral aspects of the issue but differ strongly on exactly what amounts to suicide. For instance, a member of a cult or religious grouping that refuses to take medicine meant to cure him and dies would raise a debatable position. From one end, it could be viewed as a morally justifiable suicide, yet the other school would argue it was an act of martyrdom and not suicide per se. For the sake of moral discussion, it is fair enough to define the term.

The liberal view of suicide posits that from the liberty of the agent, suicide can be justified for as long as it does not cause substantial damage to others, irrespective of whether it causes some damage to others. The proponents of this school of thought contend that despite a person having a duty to others, say the community, suicide can be justified, if at all the pain the suicide causes to others are less than the agony the subject will under if he refrains from it. There is no person in the universe who has to suffer in pain so as not to subject people to a lesser pain than his or hers. The liberal view has two distinct approaches to the justification of suicide: the autonomous approach and the utilitarian approach.

The Liberal Autonomy Approach

Beauchamp and Childress (8) argue that an individual should place himself before others and thus, they should make determination, choices, and evaluations safeguard their stakes. A sober and rational person should make decisions that determine his destiny, even if other people in the society feel that the course of action taken could cause harm to the subject. Emmanuel Kant supported this idea by noting that one can commit suicide is by so doing they reduce their suffering, and if by staying alive they expect to face more evil than pleasure. Although the principle of beneficence would argue that one should put others before himself, the autonomy takes precedence. Failure to allow individuals who want to commit suicide to do so is a demonstration of greater disrespect for their autonomy, if they feel by doing so, they will not cause serious damage to others.

The Liberal Utilitarian Approach

By defining suicide as deliberate termination of personal life, Brandt (67) does not agree with the opinion that suicide is usually immoral. In his opinion, a patient with a terminal illness can take his life to avoid huge medical bills, making him meet his societal and community obligation. He argues that before a person commits suicides, he or she is torn between making choices in relation to different "world courses." At one end, he or she could take his/her life immediately, or he would wait and die anyway at some other point in time later. If upon careful, and rational evaluation of all the possible options including both long term and short term benefits the person who is suicidal decides to go ahead, it would be justifiable and morally acceptable to commit suicide. Morgan, (220) proceeds to argue that in some cases where the moral reason for committing suicide is justifiable, then other people would have an obligation to help the person in the act if the persons so wish.

The Divergent View: Suicide Is Immoral

The alternative school of thought posits that there is no moral justification for suicide. There are many views that the proponents of this school of thought have held when arguing against the morality of suicide. To begin with, classical theologians, including St. Augustine noted that life is sacred and no one has the power to take his life or that of other people. By citing the sixth commandant in the bible (Thou shall not kill), the opponents of suicide assert that all humans have a moral obligation to obey a divine command from a supreme God. The argument further notes that all human beings are created by a wise maker who is omnipotent (Morgan, 218). As such, humans are a business of God himself since they are his servant and have to obey his orders. Emmanuel Kant argued that every human being has a divine purpose and specific conditions to operate under in this life. Suicide thus, is a violation of the intentions of the creator, and the person who kills himself will get to another world as a person who abandoned his duties here on earth, and thus a revolt against God's will (Boden, et al. 12). People remain under the will of God until such a time when God expressly decides that the time is over.

The second argument is that people are interconnected in complex ways, such that when one commits suicide, he abandons his duty to the wider community including his family and friends. People do not exist as atomistic persons, but they operate in a system. The existence of a person influences and is influenced by others (Douglas, 12). When people, struggle to live in the face of pain, they are doing more to the community and the society at large than they know. They are teaching the rest of the society that no matter what, one should not give up life, one must face life irrespective of the circumstances and that humans have a moral obligation to each other. When one commits suicide, the larger society looks at the microcosm of the community (family) as having failed to meet the needs or cared for the suicidal person when he needed them most. In a way, it acts to indicate a failed social system. On the same note, Aristotle argued that suicide becomes unjust to the society because he or she is part of a larger system and therefore by committing suicide, one injures the society.

There is also the argument of the natural law. This school of thought argues that there are scenarios under which it is illegal to kill oneself. The first is that everyone naturally loves him or herself and will do anything to preserve the life. Thus, suicide goes against the inclination of nature. However, those opposed to this view note that if one loves them so much, they are at liberty to take their lives if by doing so they end the pain or they have rationally weighed all the options. On a similar note, the same strong urge that people have to live could be the same strong feeling that compels them to commit suicide (Boden, et al., 23).

Conclusion

The debate around the morality of suicide can reign for years without people getting to a favorable conclusion. Evaluating various moral positions calls for objectivity, especially in a world of complex scenarios. Although there are some conditions under which suicide is justifiable, there are others who feel that suicide is not morally just. The effects it has on the community, the will of God and the natural law of existence are among the issues that make suicide morally unjustifiable. However, the liberal view may offer a different perspective in which an individual is at liberty to decide the best course of action for their lives. If by committing suicide one generates more gains for the family and the society and avoids catastrophic scenarios, then suicide becomes morally justifiable. All in all, suicide is justifiable under some circumstances and a decision of whether or not it is moral depends on the circumstances under which the person did the act.

Works Cited

Beauchamp, Tom L., and James F. Childress. Principles of biomedical ethics. Oxford University Press, USA, 2001.

Boden, Margaret A., et al. Life, death, and meaning: Key philosophical readings on the big questions. Rowman & Littlefield, 2016.

Brandt, Richard B. "The morality and rationality of suicide." A Handbook for the Study of Suicide 61 (1975): 65-66.

Douglas, Jack D. Social meanings of suicide. Princeton University Press, 2015.

Morgan, J. P. "The Morality of Suicide: Issues and Options." Bibliotheca Sacra 148.590 (1991): 214-30.