The ancient philosophers like Plato , Socrates and Aristotle have also expressed their concern regarding the legality of suicide . Plato opined that suicide is shameful and that the people engaged in such act should not have a proper burial. But Plato also predicted 4 exceptions to this rule that can allow a person to end his life. These rules were based on one’s morality, unattainability of salvation, grave misfortune, shame and guilt for unjust actions. Socrates believed that suicide was the act of liberating our soul from our bodies or “guard –post” without the permission of the gods who deliberately positioned us in it as a form of punishment. Aristotle only discussed that the act of suicide is an offence against the state or the society.
In ancient India punishment or “Danda” were given to a person for two reasons .The first reason was for “Incapacitation” which aimed at ensuring that the same offence would not be committed again and the second reason was “Deterrence” which was given with the objective of setting a burning example to avoid such acts in future. Similarly even in cases of suicide just like every other crime, punishment was given in order to restrain the person from committing the act again as well as setting a judicial precedent in the hope of discouraging such offences. In the past the ignorance or the refusal of one’s moral duties to others was frowned upon. Thus it was believed that suicide did not only harm the attempter but also caused psychological and economic harm to his near and dear ones and sometimes even the whole community.
In the book “Phaedo,” Plato discusses the theory of forms with ideas that concern the morality of the form. There are four philosophers that are expressed which are Phaedo, Cebes, and Simmias regarding the execution of Socrates. Socrates is presented in “Phaedo” on the morning of his execution where he is being killed. He tells his disciples Simmias and Cebes that he is not afraid of dying because a true philosopher should welcome and look forward to death but not suicide. A man should never commit suicide. He says that we are possessions of the Gods and should not harm themselves. He provides the four arguments for his claim that the soul is immortal and that a philosopher spends his whole life preparing for death.
Socrates a classical Greek philosopher and character of Plato’s book Phaedo, defines a philosopher as one who has the greatest desire of acquiring knowledge and does not fear death or the separation of the body from the soul but should welcome it. Even in his last days Socrates was in pursuit of knowledge, he presents theories to strengthen his argument that the soul is immortal. His attempts to argue his point can’t necessarily be considered as convincing evidence to support the existence of an immortal soul.
Many readers have their own opinion on whether Socrates accepted his death foolishly or reasonably. This writer’s essay expressed much sympathy and admiration on how Socrates accepted his fate. However, the writer’s argument lacks strong reasons as to why one might consider Socrates’ decision a wise one. We will analyze the writer’s key arguments and determine if they show strong evidence in to persuading the reader of Socrates’ decision to accept his fate. Nevertheless, the writer provides some good points as to Socrates’ good morals. But, fails to convince on specific arguments on whether Socrates decision was wise or foolish.
Throughout the course of the Phaedo, Socrates argues that the soul is immortal. Because he believes that his soul will live on forever, Socrates claims that he is not afraid to die. Socrates was sentenced to death and due to the fact that he took the poison earlier than when was necessary, many believe that he committed suicide. Contrary to what may be presumed about Socrates’ death, I will argue that he is a martyr and did not commit suicide.
Even with the anticipation of death linguring in his path, Socrates remained composed and curious. During his defense, he made it clear that death was nothing to fear, but rather an accepted inevitability of life. “Those of us who think that death is an evil are in error”(Plato, 39). Instead of viewing his sentence as a burden, Socrates regarded it as a potential opportunity. If death was the soul's journey to another place, the possibilities could be endless. He could obtain a considerable amount of knowledge by conversing with those who had already passed on. He could discuss virtue with victims who had also suffered death through injustice. Socrates would be able to reveal his philosophical views without having to fear for his life, which to him could be the greatest gift attainable. His uncertainty of death left him with one other view, if not a journey, then death was simply a state of nothingness. It would be an eternal resting period free of any and all disturbances, like a peaceful sleep where even dreams were absent. As Socrates saw it, either alternative was just an advancement of the soul and nothing to be uneasy over.
Throughout the centuries, there has been increasing debate regarding suicide and the acceptable reasons for committing such an act. Plato, Aristotle, Thomas Aquinas and David Humes are just a sample of the many philosophers and theologians that have commented on this delicate subject - each with slightly differing views. For this essay, I will focus on assisted suicide as it relates to the development of acceptable standards that would be uncompromising to the beliefs and ideals of differing social groups. It is in this manner that I will attempt to outline some of the increasingly difficult dilemmas presented by this hotly debated subject.
Aristotle is considered by many to be one of the most influential philosophers in history. As a student of Plato, he built on his mentor’s metaphysical teachings of things like The Theory of Forms and his views on the soul. However, he also challenged them, introducing his own metaphysical ideas such as act and potency, hylemorphism, and the four causes. He used these ideas to explain his account of the soul and the immateriality of intellect.
Suicide in the Roman society also was viewed as a tool of control. An example of this would be Cato the Younger, who would obtain his freedom through his death. There were many suicides that were viewed as a conscious intentional act and none of them consist of a mental imbalance or illness, although, there were there were individuals that did commit suicide due to their psychological problems, but those were often viewed as dishonorable deaths. There are many ways to commit an honorable and quick death. A few would be cutting open an arterial vein; an individual could also use a sword, dagger, or poison. On the other hand for the individuals who are old or ill, they would chose to stave to death. If one would try to commit suicide by hanging
Suicide: A Right or a Wrong? Markkula Center for Applied Ethics, 2014. Web. 10 Apr.
Socrates was a philosopher who was true to his word and his death was ultimately felt by his closest friends and followers. In Phaedo, Socrates is met with his closest friends during his final hours as they await his death. At this point Socrates is prepared for death and seems to welcome it. Although death may seem like a scary inevitable fate that we all must face at one point; Socrates saw death as a privilege mainly because he believed that the soul was immortal. As a result, Socrates provides arguments as to why he believed the soul was immortal and even though all his arguments lacked unconvincing evidence, he does bring up good points. In this paper I will talk about Socrates’ most and least convincing arguments on immortality, and explain what Socrates’ problem was with Anaxagoras.
Euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide are hotbed topics in the modern world mainly because life is still generally considered sacred by many. However, in the most ancient of times, euthanasia and suicide were common practice. According to Dowbiggin (2005), there was no moral conflict with euthanasia or suicide since most ancient civilizations, such as the Greeks and Romans, rejected the idea that human life was sacred and held value, and since human life held little value, the ancient Romans and Greeks also rejected the modern notion that all people enjoyed natural rights by virtue of a universal property of the human condition (p. 8). Thus, euthanasia and suicide were both tolerated and acceptable practices when a person faced hopeless circumstances (Dowbiggin, 2005, p. 8).
Socrates discusses that people should not fear death because we do not know the qualities of death. Even though we do not know what death is, he makes some suggestions for the possibilities after death. He suggests that maybe death is just an endless sleep without dreaming, it is where we can finally come to peace with ourselves. He also suggest that maybe in the afterlife he will be able to meet heroic people in the past, where he can share his experience and question people to see whether they are wise. Even in death Socrates is still going to practice philosophy even if the place is bad. Even if he did not live a just life that he thought he did, he can examine what he did wrong and fix the problems in the after life. I agree with Socrates
If they are not capable of making such choices, then someone else must make the decision for them, if that question should arise” (Singer). The goal of utilitarianism is to promote the greatest happiness for the greatest number of people and in this case, it would be the family, friends and the person undergoing the situation. Utilitarianism would take into account the emotional trauma and dignity of one dying because it would look at how many people are happy or peaceful because of the death. The family and friends would mourn over the patient but they would also know that their family member or friend is not in pain. In Plato’s Laws, he claimed that suicide is disgraceful and its perpetrators should be buried in unmarked graves. However, Plato recognized four exceptions to this principle: (1) when one’s mind is morally corrupted and one's character can therefore not be salvaged (Laws IX 854a3–5), (2) when the self-killing is done by judicial order, as in the case of Socrates, (3) when the self-killing is compelled by extreme and unavoidable personal misfortune, and (4) when the self-killing results from shame at having participated in grossly unjust actions (Laws IX 873c-d) (Cholbi). The first principle can refer to a patient’s vegetative which is defined as one of “unconscious wakefulness”. A person in this state has lost all cerebral cortex function but retains a basic level of brain stem function (Virtue Ethics). As for Mill, he was a strong supporter of personal liberty, and in his pamphlet On Liberty, he argued that the only reason for society to interfere in a person’s life was to prevent him or her from doing harm to others (Virtue Ethics). Euthanasia is not harming others – in fact, it’s preventing one from being in pain any longer so according to
Plato or is his mouthpiece in the Republic, Socrates, developed many philosophies and ideas that were way before its time. As the Republic and the city became more and more luxurious, the fear of jealousy from neighboring colonies and/or groups arose. Also, before allowing the thought of tyranny to enter the minds of any of the guardians, Socrates believed he needed to educate and train them from an early age like a puppy. With people they are familiar with, along with loved ones, the guardians will be respectful and calm. But, once a threat rises, the guardians become a guard dog instead of a puppy and fight with great valor and pride. In conclusion, in my opinion, the reason Plato proposed to censor the educational curriculum of the guardians
Two myths about suicide that I think people should be aware of is that once people decides to die by suicide, there is nothing you can do to stop them and suicide always occurs without any warning signs. I think people deciding to die by suicide think there is nothing that you can do to stop them is one of the many myth because suicidal people tends to think that suiciding is the best solution to everything, but really there is even more solutions than that. The truth about no one stopping a suicidal people is that suicide can be prevented, they just want to stop their pain. I think that suicide always occurs without any warning signs is another myth about suicide because suicidal people thinks that the feeling of suicide is instant and feel