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Suicide

In my quest to attain sheer rationality and objectivity I had to overcome my own biases, prejudices and subjectivity. In doing so, I concluded that there is no rational basis for choosing life over death.

Why then, should one, when facing the meaninglessness of life, not commit suicide?

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Permalink Reply by Daniel W on June 12, 2011 at 4:31pm

Why not commit suicide....

I wondered if when my parents died, if I would't lose the last inhibition to killing myself. Now when I think about ending it, there's my partner. I wouldn't want to put any of them through that.

I don't know, though. There is a biological impulse to live, just like there's a biological impulse to eat, have sex, and breathe.. I think that's the real cause of continuing to live. It's not rational, but neither are a lot of things we do. Actually, dark chocolate, sex, and a good glass of wine ARE reasons to live.

So Andrew, I will just tell you don't do it because I said so. I know you dont know who I am and don't care, but don't do it anyway.

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Permalink Reply by Napoleon Bonaparte on June 12, 2011 at 4:54pm

About 12 years ago I was suffering from cocaine addiction and depression. I often contemplated suicide.

I got professional help and was hospitalised for 2 months. I got better and life has been better ever since.

So things can get better and your mental health can improve.

Remember, you are going to die anyway so you may as well stick around to see what happens.

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Permalink Reply by Prog Rock Girl on June 12, 2011 at 5:34pm

I'm doubtful that there is such a thing as being completely objective or that there is a rational answer to your question.

People often call suicide selfish, which I can understand, but it's also selfish to want a completely miserable person to stay alive just for other people.

I've been suicidal before. Strangely I am more afraid of nonexistence now that I've actually really thought about it.

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Permalink Reply by paul babcock on June 13, 2011 at 6:15am

Unless one has kids that one is responsible for then I do in fact think what you do w your life is your business.With me, just knowing that I had that as an option has given me peace and comfort in times of stress.

We have ingrained instinctive drives not to do that to ourselves, but as rational people we have the option not lice by instinct alone.

All that being said, one never know what t future holds. Regardless of how one feels presently, there is every chance that situations and attitudes will change so that one will latter be glad to be alive. But if one offs oneself then they have deprived themselves of the opportunity to ever experience this.

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Permalink Reply by John Camilli on June 14, 2011 at 11:56am

I have a different opinion of how we operate. I think that once we exist, we are all trapped by causality. That's an assumption because i can't prove that the universe only operates causally (and neither can anyone else), but I can't concieve of will or choice in a random universe either, so it seems to me that we are stuck either way. I think whether or not any of us ever commits suicide was already determined the moment existence came to be. It's a philosophy called fatalism, mechanism, and a few other names, and it's one of the most abhorred philosophies in history because it basically says we are all slaves, and that we are not responsible for anything we do. Most people think of fatalists as lazy asses trying to escape responsibility, but I would give abolutely anything to have come to a different conclusion about the nature of reality. It seems the most terrible of all possible ways to exist. Not only can I not control what I do with my living, but I cannot even control whether or not I continue to live. It's only my opinion of what's going on, but then everyone's idea of reality is only an opinion. I do wish I had a different one, but I think it is not in my control.

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Permalink Reply by Christopher Berman on June 14, 2011 at 1:39pm

Why would you want to overcome your own subjectivity?

If you think of life and the world in terms of mathematical logic, then there is absolutely no reason to select life over death, because there's no real room for evaluation at all. Values are subjective; if you ignore the subjective, you ignore values.

You also ignore art. If a worldview results in the loss of something like art, you've gone wrong somewhere.

Suicide is not always irrational (regardless of what the medical field has dogmatically asserted). However, in light of art, and love, and beauty, and things, I think there's more than enough of a foundation to live. It may not work for everyone, but it works for me.

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Permalink Reply by Paul Dean Griffin on June 14, 2011 at 1:45pm

One should, if one finds life meaningless. But all humans add meaning to their own lives. Meaning in the form of emotional attachment.

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Permalink Reply by Daniel B on June 14, 2011 at 2:03pm

I'm not trying to commit suicide because life is fun. Isn't that a rational basis for choosing life over death? I think so.

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Permalink Reply by Gabriel Garcia on June 14, 2011 at 11:59pm

Death is only meaningful when there is no meaning to life

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Permalink Reply by Grace Fitzpatrick on June 15, 2011 at 2:17pm

I don't think anyone can answer this question for someone else. To ask the obvious, are you currently considering suicide? Do you want help? Do you know where you can get help? If you were bleeding, you would go to a hospital for treatment. Please if you are actively considering suicide, consider many people have experienced this and found medication, counseling and treatment very helpful.

If you are not considering suicide, this is a question only you can answer for yourself. I know I have many reasons to live which have nothing to do with contemplating the meaning of life. Because I want to is a good enough answer for me.

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Permalink Reply by Will Faithless Sophia on June 15, 2011 at 3:28pm

Ultimately all motivation and meaning comes from our irrational emotions, there is no such thing as absolute objectivity if it cannot distinguish between life and death. There is a certain logic to emotion, but it is different... more like the seemingly 'illogical' quantum physics, than the 'logical' Newtonian variety.