David Hume's View Of Suicide

Amber Ramos

Philosophy

Prof. Grimwade

18 April 2016

Hume “Of Suicide”

Suicides known definition is the act or an instance of taking one's own life voluntarily and intentionally. People choose to commit suicide for many different reasons it is not always to seek death but to try to gain something else from dying it can be happiness; afterlife or they even believe that happiness will come to them if they commit suicide. There are many controversies that come into the topic of suicide such as; we are given free will so why are we not allowed to choose when and how we want to die, that if someone views their life as meaningless why cant they just commit suicide. The moral right of suicide shouldn’t be determined by our free will, how we

These laws that made suicide illegal was during the mid 13th century to 1961. Hume’s “Of Suicide” showed that he believed that every human person has the right to take his or her own life. He believed this because to him society is not opposed to any duties of God, society or to oneself. “If Suicide be criminal, it must be a transgression of duty, either to God, our neighbor, or to ourselves” (p.2) here Hume is stating that the action of suicide is to be free from every accusation of guilt or blame. Though he believes that the action of suicide should be free of any guilt or blame he is not saying that it is always morally permitted and that in some cases suicide may not be

But the life of man is of no greater importance to the universe than that of an oyster” (p.3) He shows that human life has no essential worth and no importance in the universe. Hume believes this because of our fragility and weakness “A hair, a fly, an insect is able to destroy this mighty being [i.e. the human being], whose life is of such importance. Is it an absurdity to suppose, that human prudence may lawfully dispose of what depends on such insignificant causes?” (p.3) this questions that if God and nature valued our lives then why are we made to such fragile and weak