Killing Ourselves

2021 ◽  
pp. 191-206
Author(s):  
Thomas E. Hill, Jr.
Keyword(s):  
Assisted Suicide ◽  
Public Policies ◽  
Rational Agent ◽  
Rational Agency

This essay notes varying definitions of suicide, reviews different perspectives on the morality of suicide, and describes a modified Kantian alternative that emphasizes human dignity. Then a relevant ideal of appreciation is introduced, going beyond the Kantian value of functioning as a rational agent. Appreciation of the good things in life is an ideal attitude that may give reasons for self-preservation even as rational agency diminishes, and it is not the same as wanting pleasure or comfort. The essay comments briefly on the special concerns relevant to public policies permitting assisted suicide.

scholarly journals Verdighet og selvbestemmelse – En aktørbasert forestilling om menneskeverdet

2019 ◽  
pp. 191-213
Author(s):  
Sven Arntzen
Keyword(s):  
Human Rights ◽  
Moral Philosophy ◽  
Assisted Suicide ◽  
Ethical Issues ◽  
Rational Agent ◽  
Agent Based ◽  
The Subject ◽  
The Absolute

Dignity, according to one conception, is the absolute, inherent and inalienable value of every person. There is general agreement that this idea of dignity has a source in Immanuel Kant’s moral philosophy. I argue that Kant formulates what I characterize as an agency or agent based conception of dignity. Persons are bearers of dignity in their capacity as moral subjects and subjects of action. Central here is the idea that a rational agent is the subject of “any end whatsoever” and so must be considered the free cause of actions. Accordingly, to be treated merely as a thing, or “as a means”, is to be treated in a manner incompatible with having and acting for the sake of any end of one’s choosing. Also relevant in this connection is Alan Gewirth’s agency based theories of dignity and of human rights. I then consider this conception of dignity in addressing three ethical issues: to let die or keep alive, assisted suicide, and so-called dwarf-tossing. Finally, I consider challenges to the idea of dignity in general and the agency based conception of dignity in particular.

Promêtheia as Rational Agency in Plato

Apeiron ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 0 (0) ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher Moore
Keyword(s):  
Rational Agent ◽  
Rational Agency ◽  
The Future

Abstract The Greeks knew a virtue term that represented the ability to determine which norms deserved commitment, a virtue term usually misunderstood as “prediction of likely outcomes” or “being hesitant”: promêtheia. Plato’s uses of this term, almost completely ignored by scholarship, show a sensitivity to the prerequisites for the capacity for rational agency. We must add this virtue term to the usual suspects related to acting as a rational agent: sôphrosunê, dikaiosunê, phrônesis, and sophia. Promêtheia stands out for its importance in times of ignorance of the future.

Don’t Even Think of It

2021 ◽  
pp. 73-88
Author(s):  
George Sher
Keyword(s):  
Sustained Attention ◽  
Rational Agent ◽  
Rational Agency ◽  
In Virtue Of

This chapter examines the claim that there are certain beliefs, attitudes, and fantasies that are impermissible simply in virtue of their content. Although this claim has a recognizably deontological flavor, it has not received much sustained attention from deontologists. However, interesting arguments for it can be extracted from Thomas Scanlon’s contractualism and from Kant’s own theory, and the chapter examines these in some detail. Where Kant’s theory is concerned, the doctrines discussed include the universalizability test, the idea that each rational agent is an end in himself, the idea that all rational agency commands our respect, and the idea that we all have duties of self-perfection. Although there is obviously room for further discussion, the chapter’s conclusion is that no convincing deontological argument for putting any thoughts off limits is yet in sight.

Acceptability of Assisted Suicide in Patients With Severe and Persistent Mental Illness

GeroPsych ◽  
2020 ◽  
pp. 1-8
Author(s):  
Sophie Gloeckler ◽  
Manuel Trachsel
Keyword(s):  
Mental Illness ◽  
Pilot Study ◽  
Psychiatric Diagnosis ◽  
Assisted Suicide ◽  
Shared Values ◽  
Psychiatric Nurses ◽  
Attitudes And Beliefs ◽  
Future Studies ◽  
Persistent Mental Illness ◽  
Moral Attitudes

Abstract. In Switzerland, assisted suicide (AS) may be granted on the basis of a psychiatric diagnosis. This pilot study explored the moral attitudes and beliefs of nurses regarding these practices through a quantitative survey of 38 psychiatric nurses. The pilot study, which serves to inform hypothesis development and future studies, showed that participating nurses supported AS and valued the reduction of suffering in patients with severe persistent mental illness. Findings were compared with those from a previously published study presenting the same questions to psychiatrists. The key differences between nurses’ responses and psychiatrists’ may reflect differences in the burden of responsibility, while similarities might capture shared values worth considering when determining treatment efforts. More information is needed to determine whether these initial findings represent nurses’ views more broadly.

Risus Sardonicus: Assisted Suicide or Ritual Violent Euthanasia?

Crisis ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 34 (2) ◽  
pp. 71-81
Author(s):  
Antonio Preti
Keyword(s):  
Assisted Suicide

Euthanasia and Related Practices Worldwide

Crisis ◽  
1998 ◽  
Vol 19 (3) ◽  
pp. 109-115 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael J Kelleher † ◽  
Derek Chambers ◽  
Paul Corcoran ◽  
Helen S Keeley ◽  
Eileen Williamson
Keyword(s):  
Assisted Suicide ◽  
International Association ◽  
Active Euthanasia ◽  
Physician Assisted Suicide ◽  
Passive Euthanasia ◽  
Medical Practitioners ◽  
General Acceptance ◽  
International Importance ◽  
Controversial Area ◽  
Active And Passive Euthanasia

The present paper examines the occurrence of matters relating to the ending of life, including active euthanasia, which is, technically speaking, illegal worldwide. Interest in this most controversial area is drawn from many varied sources, from legal and medical practitioners to religious and moral ethicists. In some countries, public interest has been mobilized into organizations that attempt to influence legislation relating to euthanasia. Despite the obvious international importance of euthanasia, very little is known about the extent of its practice, whether passive or active, voluntary or involuntary. This examination is based on questionnaires completed by 49 national representatives of the International Association for Suicide Prevention (IASP), dealing with legal and religious aspects of euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide, as well as suicide. A dichotomy between the law and medical practices relating to the end of life was uncovered by the results of the survey. In 12 of the 49 countries active euthanasia is said to occur while a general acceptance of passive euthanasia was reported to be widespread. Clearly, definition is crucial in making the distinction between active and passive euthanasia; otherwise, the entire concept may become distorted, and legal acceptance may become more widespread with the effect of broadening the category of individuals to whom euthanasia becomes an available option. The “slippery slope” argument is briefly considered.

IASP Taskforce on Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide

Crisis ◽  
1996 ◽  
Vol 17 (2) ◽  
pp. 89-89
Author(s):  
Michael J. Kelleher
Keyword(s):  
Assisted Suicide

Suicide, Assisted Suicide, and Euthanasia

Crisis ◽  
1996 ◽  
Vol 17 (2) ◽  
pp. 90-93 ◽  
Author(s):  
Herbert Hendin
Keyword(s):  
Assisted Suicide
Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document