(December 14, 2014 at 10:20 am)bennyboy Wrote: But suicide, with a few exceptions (like being captured by terrorists looking for information), is unethical at its core, as it disregards the suffering inflicted on others in one's pursuit to end self-suffering.Assuming the role of someone contemplating suicide and also assuming there is no other alternative to relieve my suffering, why is someone else not suffering more important than me not suffering? Wouldn't empathetic consideration for others only serve to worsen my personal suffering? Besides, consideration for another's condition disappears the moment I'm dead so it is perhaps just another problem solved from the perspective of someone committing suicide. It also seems fair to conclude that consequences for others has already been considered in the pros and cons of committing suicide or it is of absolutely no consequence.
I don't find appeals to the condition of others very convincing when considering suicide, even in cases where its easy to demonstrate a duty of care; e.g., having minor children. Someone seriously considering suicide is probably going to have issues being a caregiver, not to mention the somewhat frequent accounts of children becoming victims in murder-suicides.
Far better to help someone with his/her struggles as I'm not sure how receptive that person would be to an ethical argument regarding the merits of suicide, even if it were unethical by consensus.
