If a person is suffering to the point that the person considers killing themselves, that suffering is subjectively worse than whatever may be suffered by others as a result of their suicide. I think the only scenario in which ethical balance is truly at play is if one's suicide might drive someone else to it.
I may not be getting you all the way so correct me if I'm wrong, but it seems as though ethics doesn't care about such a nuance. Suicide is bad because it may cause residual harm to others, regardless of the depth of suffering the suicidal person is experiencing (unless that suffering is certain to never end while alive).
Let's assume that I fell into the clutches of a person who was known to torture and murder his victims. I don't know for certain that my fate will end up like theirs. I may be rescued, or there may be some fortunate series of events that permits my escape, but I have absolutely no way of knowing and it seems like a slim possibility in any case. I have family who would be hurt to find that I killed myself, but they would also be hurt to find out I was flayed alive, so that would be more suffering for me and them both. They would be overjoyed if I was rescued, which would be less suffering for my family, but it may not happen until after I was subjected to gruesome disfigurement.
Is suicide an unethical choice?
I may not be getting you all the way so correct me if I'm wrong, but it seems as though ethics doesn't care about such a nuance. Suicide is bad because it may cause residual harm to others, regardless of the depth of suffering the suicidal person is experiencing (unless that suffering is certain to never end while alive).
Let's assume that I fell into the clutches of a person who was known to torture and murder his victims. I don't know for certain that my fate will end up like theirs. I may be rescued, or there may be some fortunate series of events that permits my escape, but I have absolutely no way of knowing and it seems like a slim possibility in any case. I have family who would be hurt to find that I killed myself, but they would also be hurt to find out I was flayed alive, so that would be more suffering for me and them both. They would be overjoyed if I was rescued, which would be less suffering for my family, but it may not happen until after I was subjected to gruesome disfigurement.
Is suicide an unethical choice?
