Stay : a history of suicide and the philosophies against it

by Jennifer Michael Hecht     (Get the Book)
Hecht (New School Univ., NYC) offers an interesting, well-crafted history of Western philosophical thought on suicide. Unlike most other books on the topic, this one defends two longstanding (but often forgotten) arguments against suicide: that we owe it "to society at large," and "to our future selves" to "stay." The persuasive force of these arguments is bolstered by limiting the context to "despair suicide," but not necessarily to "end-of- life management." Thus, most of the contemporary biomedical debate over physician-assisted suicide is avoided. Critics will point out that both arguments assume that the collective and individual benefits of "staying" necessarily outweigh the future costs. Hence, many critics would argue that suicide is inexorably contextual and not amenable to "one-size-fits-all" arguments. This book is recommended for a general audience, especially those who may be vulnerable to despair suicide. For a more rigorous book that covers the deep philosophical issues associated with suicide, see Michael Cholbi's Suicide: The Philosophical Dimensions (CH, Mar'12, 49-3784). --Choice