Like Chris I think I have a pretty strong rational case for killing myself. Of course, this kind of thing can’t be brought up in polite conversation—people are shocked and instinctively go into Emergency Survival Hero mode, in which they try to apply the verbal equivalent of CPR
This is strange, firstly because to me, the idea of my death is no longer ‘a big deal’ (the name “alt.suicide.holiday” neatly encapsulates the banality of it). It takes some effort for me to keep in mind that others don’t share this view. [It’s all too easy for me to attribute my “cryonics is (mostly) pointless” stance to my own circumstances. Yet I can’t help but think I’m the rational one, having overcome the “my survival = good” bias.]
Secondly it’s strange because I too can remember not sharing this view. When I was a child, death was something unfathomably frightening and horrendous. I used to believe that thinking harder—more realistically—about one’s death would always produce ever-increasing terror, and that the only way people make it through life is by deliberately turning a blind eye to the awfulness of death.
Nonetheless, I think many of the usual arguments that people use to show that suicide is “wrong” are bad arguments.
I can see two kinds of potentially strong argument against suicide.
If the person doesn’t kill themselves, one can reasonably expect that they will lead a meaningful life (meaningful = having a career of some kind and/or creative outlets and/or friends etc.)
The person has already established meaningful connections with the world, and severing them would cause harm. (Family members lose for someone who provided for and/or helped them somehow, valuable talents at work go sorely missed, personal projects go unfinished, etc.)
If both of these fail, considered rationally in the cold light of day, then I think the person may as well kill themselves. Grief of family members shouldn’t be ignored, especially as some of them may be depressed or irrational themselves, and may suffer ‘disproportionately’ to the objective size of the loss.
Like Chris I think I have a pretty strong rational case for killing myself. Of course, this kind of thing can’t be brought up in polite conversation—people are shocked and instinctively go into Emergency Survival Hero mode, in which they try to apply the verbal equivalent of CPR
This is strange, firstly because to me, the idea of my death is no longer ‘a big deal’ (the name “alt.suicide.holiday” neatly encapsulates the banality of it). It takes some effort for me to keep in mind that others don’t share this view. [It’s all too easy for me to attribute my “cryonics is (mostly) pointless” stance to my own circumstances. Yet I can’t help but think I’m the rational one, having overcome the “my survival = good” bias.]
Secondly it’s strange because I too can remember not sharing this view. When I was a child, death was something unfathomably frightening and horrendous. I used to believe that thinking harder—more realistically—about one’s death would always produce ever-increasing terror, and that the only way people make it through life is by deliberately turning a blind eye to the awfulness of death.
I can see two kinds of potentially strong argument against suicide.
If the person doesn’t kill themselves, one can reasonably expect that they will lead a meaningful life (meaningful = having a career of some kind and/or creative outlets and/or friends etc.)
The person has already established meaningful connections with the world, and severing them would cause harm. (Family members lose for someone who provided for and/or helped them somehow, valuable talents at work go sorely missed, personal projects go unfinished, etc.)
If both of these fail, considered rationally in the cold light of day, then I think the person may as well kill themselves. Grief of family members shouldn’t be ignored, especially as some of them may be depressed or irrational themselves, and may suffer ‘disproportionately’ to the objective size of the loss.