Peter asked:

Is suicide ethically wrong?

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There are at least two reasons why suicide is regarded as ethically wrong. Firstly, if you commit
suicide you fail to take the feelings of others into account; those who care about you. It is the essence
of morality to think of others. The second consideration is that you have a moral responsibility to
yourself. Kant, for instance, argued that we should treat others with respect as Ends in Themselves.
As individuals, one amongst others, we too are an end in itself and should treat ourselves with
respect. Kant also thought that our moral community was essentially a rational community and it is
rational to want to live.

So if ethics is grounded in either feelings or rationality, suicide is immoral.

However, if it is the case that no-one actually cares whether you commit suicide or not, then on the
first reason, I cannot see that it would be unethical. You will not hurt anyone, except yourself: And it is
not even clear that you would actually be hurting yourself. Our bodies belong solely to us and I think
that we have the right to dispose of them as we think fit.

The rationality argument against suicide shows how you would be hurting yourself and applies even if
you don't accept Kant's theory of respect. If you have no reason to live, and no desire to do so,
suicide would seem to be the rational conclusion. But this would only be so if there was no future
possibility of coming to want to live, and this possibility cannot be rejected. If there is an ethical sense
to this it would be that one should be good to oneself and allow oneself the chance of some future
happiness.

Rachel Browne