“Discussions about the ethics of suicide are immediately biased by the verb that customarily attaches to it in English. One "commits" suicide. Because this presupposes the wrongfulness of the suicide, I avoid that verb, opting instead for "carry out" suicide. This is evaluatively neutral, avoiding both the usual bias against suicide and the unusual bias in favor of it that the verb "achieve" would effect. "Carry out" is preferable to "practice", which implies something ongoing. Finally, "carry out" also implies a suicide that is completed rather than merely attempted.”
Quote by David Benatar
Work
The Metaphysics and Ethics of Death: New Essays
Browse quotes and source details for this work. more
Author
David Benatar
David Benatar (born December 8, 1966) is a South African philosopher and professor at the University of Cape Town, known for his controversial anti-natalist views. He argues that bringing a child into existence is morally wrong because life inevitably involves suffering, and non-existence avoids all harm. His seminal work, Better Never to Have Been: The Harm of Coming into Existence (2006), sparked global debate on the ethics of procreation. Benatar's research covers applied ethics, bioethics, and metaphysics, and he is a prominent figure in population ethics. Despite criticism for pessimism, he maintains his arguments are based on logical reasoning. He also authored The Second Sexism (2012) and Human Well-Being and Human Life (2018). more
You May Also Like
Source: Unexpressed Feelings
“Never put salt into someone's wounds and tell them it's sugar.”
“People are way too quick to make commitments and too quick to abandon them.”
Source: The Path to a Meaningful Life
Source: The 9 Cardinal Building Blocks: For continued success in leadership
Source: El apando
Source: A Man from Another Land: How Finding My Roots Changed My Life
Source: Artificial Gods