Suicide and the Question of Rationality

Suicide and the Question of RationalityImoghena UsmanSuicide and the Question of Rationality and the Thought of Death (Question 6)In her work, Ethical Issues in Suicide, Margaret Pabst Battin tries to regularise if self-destruction flock be lucid by using a number of criteria. I debate that two of her criteria can be weakened. While I agree that self-annihilation can be rational, I hypothesize she fails to examine critical points that could lead to the irrationality of killing oneself. I will manage that felo-de-se can be considered rational ascribable to the humans capacity to restrain their own options and their rights all over their own body. However, if the whatever(prenominal)body overstretchting the act are non the ones do the decision by themselves, then self-annihilation in some(prenominal) cases should be determined irrational because it does not embarrass the individuals import process.Battin states that rational suicide is usu all toldy defined as th e individual is not insane, in which the decision is reached in unimpaired, undeceived fashion, and in which the selection made is not a foolish thing for that individual to do, (132). nation determine suicide to be something a psyche would reasonably and acknowledgeingly do. Battin comes up with five criteria, which spill into two groups the first three being non-impairment criteria and the last two being satisfaction of interests, both which could be used to evaluate otherwise acts as well (132). It seems to be based on the humans dianoetic thinking process and their physical and emotional wants.The business leader to reason is the first criterion in the list, in which most think is that the person can come up with different logical reasons and the person can evaluate the consequences of the conclusion (Battin 133). However, there are mistakes that people commit while proving irrationality of suicide as Battin states it is thought that people should be able to predict the c onsequences by and by suicide if the act itself should be considered rational (133). Battin is explaining that humans must be able to figure tabu what would or could happen if they kill themselves in a thought process. However, she declares that many people do not actually see these consequences correctly (Battin 134). Battin points out that people do not imagine their deaths correctly (Shneidman and Farberow Nagel, cited in Battin 1995, 134) or are focused on affecting the other people in their lives in a dyadic suicide (Shneidman, cited in Battin 1995, 134). This would enhance that suicides could be rational because if individuals could not see the outcomes of their deaths, then the argument about consequences would be prove false. Battin goes on to state that suicides based on religion, to continue life and experiences after death, and reputation, to be seen in a peculiar(prenominal) way after death, are rational because it would be hard to prove ability to reason ascribable to error in reasoning (Battin 134-135). Overall, I believe that Battin is stating that rational suicide involves a clear nous and extensive thought process.Adequacy of education is another criterion where it is assumed that many suicides cannot meet this to be considered rational (Battin 137). It is assumed that inadequacy is people committing suicide based of mistaken instruction, such as an individual with a terminal illness committing suicide based off of a physicians facial expressions, and can involve the persons thoughts about present and future consequences (Battin 137). This would mean that people would not be rational in committing suicide because they do not grant the right information to base it off of. However, Battin claims that you cannot determine irrationality of a suicide if there was no way possible of the individual knowing it can merely be judged if there was no attempt to get it from reliable sources (Battin 137-138). I think that Battin is inferring that not having the correct information could mean they are unable to participate in rational thought process. Another assumption of suicide not being rational due to this criterion is caused by internal factors, such as picture where they can unknowingly suppress certain information (Brandt, cited in Battin 1995, 138). She counters this by stating that you can still assume adequate information because the future may be already negative, yet with a smaller great deal (Battin 138-139). Therefore, from her counterargument, she is countering any claims of narrow views that the opposition would try to argue by stating that an individuals health status does not matter. Battin states that some would claim that suicide would be irrational if one committed it because of an unlikely future, but states that committing suicides later, such as in illnesses, would be rational while committing it early would not be (140-141). Battin is severaliseing that it would have to weigh on the situation that the individual is in. Overall, I think Battin is trying to conclude that it would be diffi rage to determine the amount of reliable information needed in order to commit rational suicide.I think that suicide can be rational since it is in regards to the individuals body and mind because it was what they were born with. It is their choice whether they commit suicide or not and they have the right to do whatever they want with it. I argue that they know their own bodies enough since they have lived in them for so many years and ultimately would know what is best for them. Therefore, it would not be irrational to commit suicide if they are the ones who are committing that act. Some could say that just because you own your body does not make it rational to commit suicide. In fact, you may not know much about your body at all and are making an uninformed decision, and so making it irrational to commit suicide. This would be an example of inadequacy of information being used as an a ssumption for irrational suicide (Battin 137). However, objectors would not know the humans situation either so it would not be fair to say if an individual commit suicide. This is something Battin acknowledges when she states that each person has their own ideas about suicide and what comes after (142). It is up to the individual to decide whether they end their lives if they think they have done enough question and learned as much as they can to commit suicide, then they should be allowed to proceed.However, I believe that suicide is irrational if the person committing the act is not the one who thought about it or came up with the idea to kill themselves. To be more specific, the individual who is committing suicide should have thought about it all by themselves without any influence or coercion. This derives from the original definition given in the text, in which the person should not be deceived when committing rational actions (Battin 132). This is something that I believe B attin should have looked at further since it could have abnormal her choice of criteria. If they are being influenced by any other person, then that is not their own decision. level off if they are committing the act with their own bodies, their mind was not a part of the decision. One example is if they were a part of a cult led by one main individual who had control over their followers. If that person preached to his followers to drink poison for him, and they do, then they were not clearly thinking about it. They allow someone else tell them what to do, not what they thought to do. They should to a fault not be physically laboured into committing suicide as well. An example of this could be pointing a gun to someones star while handing them a knife and relation them to slit their throats. Whether from physical or emotional pressure, no one should not have a choice on whether or not to end their lives. I would consider this also irrational because that person is not being g iven a chance on whether to end their lives or not someone else is making the choice for them. Battin claims that no act is fully rational with coercion (131). This demonstrates that suicide by force could not be rational because if you are being forced with no other options then there is no way that could fully be your decision. Battin also reinforces this in which one of her criteria is that it should meet the interests of that individual (Williams, cited in Battin 1995, 146). Also, both of these points fail the criteria of ability to reason, in which they can move from premises to conclusion (Battin 133). If the individual is being forced or influenced by others, then they cannot figure out the premises or conclusion by themselves. If suicide is forced or not their decision, then it does not meet their interests but the interests of others, demonstrating that suicide in that regards could not be rational.One objection to my argument could be that the person was able to make those decisions by themselves even if they were coerced or influenced by another individual because they were able to think about it regardless. For example, they could have answered no and walked away, and that would have been more rational because they actually thought whether they wanted to proceed or not. However, I think that would be less rational in certain circumstances than suicide. Not everyone can decline and look the other way. If an adult had the mind of a six-year-old child, then they could not fully comprehend suicide. If the leader of a cult told that individual to drink a vial of poison, it is likely that they would because they may trust them. They would not have the ability to make a rational decision about suicide because they cannot fully lowstand the situation. The individual may not have the capacity to say no either. The same would go for an actual child as well, as seen in the text where children would not think of suicide as the end of their lives, but solitar y(prenominal) sleeping (Battin 133-134). This does not live up to the criteria of adequacy of information, because they do not have the information from other resources or there was no effort to get them from reliable sources (Battin 138). This would mean that even if suicide by individuals under those circumstances was considered, it would not be rational because they do not have a variety of information available to make a conclusion, or it would not be possible for them to an informed decision. It does not fulfill the ability to reason criteria either because they are not moving from premises to conclusions (Battin 133). If they cannot comprehend the situation due to their minds age, then there is a chance that they cannot be able to complete that process. If the person with the gun pointed to their head had their spouse threatened who they loved, then they would seemingly have no choice. Battin reinforces this by stating that people in forced-choice tests need the option that suits their most fundamental interest (151-152). In this example, it would be the spouse that is saved if the person is selfless. It also goes against one of Battins criteria, in which it does not serve the persons interests which come from their values (Williams, cited in Battin 1995, 146) because it would not serve any interest to kill the spouse if the individual loved them. By committing suicide for these reasons, I do not think they are committing rational suicide because they are being influenced or have no inclusion of what they are doing. Both examples still lack the ability to reason, in which Battin states that the reasoning for suicide that involves living after death could be rational (135). If they are being forced or influenced, then it must be considered someone is doing it for them. They may not be thinking about it at all. Suicide needs to be thought out, not rushed. In my opinion, rational suicide would need to be the persons choice if it, and not the choice of oth ers.In conclusion, I think that suicide can be rational in regards to Battins criteria, but only if it is the persons choice.Works CitedBattin, Margaret Pabst. The Concept of Rational Suicide. Ethical Issues in Suicide. Prentice Hall, 1995, pp. 131-135. Print.