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The ethics of suicide — assisted or not
“A friend of mine decided, for no proper reason, to starve himself to death. I heard of this when he was already in that third day of his fast, and went and asked him what had happened. ‘I’ve decided to take this course,’ he said. Yes, but all the same, what was it that moved you to do so? If your decision is justified, look, here we are at your side and ready to help you on your way; but if your decision is unreasonable, you ought to change it. — ‘We ought to hold to our decisions.’ — What are you up to, man? Not to every decision, but to those that are justified.” (Epictetus, Discourses, II.15.4–7)
This passage from Epictetus encapsulates, I think, pretty much all there is to say about the ethics of suicide, assisted or not. I do not wish to oversimplify an issue that is keeping philosophers, politicians, doctors, and patients involved in endless discussions. An issue, moreover, that carries huge societal and personal implications. And yet there it is. Epictetus is saying…
