Suicide: The Philosophical Dimensions

This book is the culmination of over a decade of philosophical inquiry into suicide. Philosophers have tended to address the issue of suicide piecemeal, addressing philosophical questions about suicide in isolation from one another. Suicide: The Philosophical Dimensions works both analytically and synthetically. Examining questions of duty, intervention, and assisted suicide, the book represents a sustained investigation into the nature and ethics of suicide.

Table of Contents:
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS INTRODUCTION CHAPTER ONE: THE NATURE OF SUICIDE Some Examples What Should a Definition of Suicide Capture? Suicide as Intentional Self-killing Can Suicide Be Coerced? Conclusion CHAPTER TWO: THE MORAL IMPERMISSIBILITY OF SUICIDE Christian Arguments for the Impermissibility of Suicide Non-religious Arguments for the Impermissibility of Suicide Conclusion CHAPTER THREE: THE MORAL PERMISSIBILITY OF SUICIDE Must a Permission Be Justified? Self-defense Self-knowledge Self-ownership Autonomy and Rationality Conclusion CHAPTER FOUR: IS SUICIDE EVER A DUTY? Clarifying a “Duty to Die” Suicide in the Service of a Political or Religious Cause Suicide Ordered by the State Suicide to Unburden Others Suicide to Prevent the Deaths of Others Conclusion CHAPTER FIVE: SUICIDE PREVENTION AND INTERVENTION Benign vs. Problematic Measures Why Prevent or Intervene? The Paternalism Objection Morally Permissible Anti-suicide Measures Availability of Lethal Means Conclusion CHAPTER SIX: ASSISTED SUICIDE A Duty to Assist Suicide? Physician-assisted Suicide Aiding Suicide and the Slippery Slope Costs, Benefits, and Institutional Design Conclusion EPILOGUE: WHY? Opportunity Motive Means CONCLUSION AND SUMMARY BIBLIOGRAPHY INDEX

About the Author :
Michael Cholbi is Professor of Philosophy at California State Polytechnic University, Pomona.

Review :
“This outstanding example of contemporary applied ethics also represents state-of-the-art philosophical thought on suicide. … [Suicide is a] well-written, rigorously argued book [that] will be very valuable for courses and programs in applied ethics, health care ethics, and death and dying.” — R.F. White, College of Mount St. Joseph in CHOICE Volume 49.7, March 2012 “Michael Cholbi’s Suicide: The Philosophical Dimensions is a well-written, thoughtful introduction to a sensitive and perennial moral issue. The work is a valuable tool to undergraduates and those seeking to understand the standard positions on suicide that will continue to influence ethical discussions about, among other things, what the definition of suicide is, whether the taking of one’s own life is permissible, and if suicide can be a duty under any set of circumstances.” — Dennis Cooley, North Dakota State University “This is a philosophers’ book, full of twists and turns and exhaustive examination of arguments on all sides of the issue. The book is remarkably sensible in its exploration of conceptual issues, with a good ear for inquiry. Cholbi dissects the arguments over mind/body dualism, the non-identity problem, the claim that “life is a gift from God,” and the question of whether suicide is ever a duty, among many others, with meticulous care. It is a fine book, an extraordinary contribution to the philosophic discussion of a seriously overheated issue.” — Margaret Pabst Battin, University of Utah