Schopenhauer’s Philosophy of Suicide

One of the most notable philosophers of pessimist theory, Arthur Schopenhauer has much to say about the institution of suicide. He firmly believes that it is monotheistic confessors who consider suicide a crime, which is ironic considering neither the Old nor the New Testament disapproves of it. Thus, the believers base their taboo on shaky foundations built upon ‘weak, easily refuted sophisms,’ and through verbal abuse, propounding the views that suicide is the greatest cowardice or a product of madness, and is inherently ‘wrong.’ This is absurd due to the simple fact that every individual possesses an indisputable right, according to Schopenhauer, over their own life.

Delving into why the verdict of insanity is inevitably rendered upon the ones who commit suicide, we observe those who depart from the world voluntarily, those who are viewed as criminals, although according to Schopenhauer, they must not be denied an ‘honest burial.’ He says there is no biblical backing here whatsoever, and the arguments are invalid. Regarding the legal criminalisation of suicide, it is firmly emphasised by him how the penalty by addressing the attempt at suicide, actually punishes ‘the lack of skill by which it failed.’

Furthermore, Schopenhauer draws a parallel between the ancient theorists and his contemporaries. He brings the instance of Pliny in his book the ‘Natural History’ which expresses the urgency to end one’s life as a virtuous security for oneself. The example of Massilia and the island of Ceos is used too, where a ceremonious celebration was organised and a cup of hemlock was given by the magistrate to whoever could cite compelling reasons to end one’s life. Aristotle’s anti-suicide stance is also projected whereby it was considered an anti-state act. On the contrary, we find the Stoics who commended suicide as a heroic deed. Even among the Hindus, the rituals of the burning of widows, sacrificing oneself to crocodiles in sacred temple ponds, etc were religious practices, which are not executed in the present. In China too, through the medium of theatre, suicide was not viewed as a crime.

Schopenhauer holds the opinion that if one was to be annihilated by death, it would only be fair to have the choice over it, given the character of the world. Instances of suppression of literature refuting the monotheistic views of suicide are seen too, in the case of Hume’s essay ‘On Suicide,’ when the preacher hegemony in England banned its publication and distribution, insinuating how the apparent greatness of the English nation boiled down to nothing at all, considering the nature by which an essay by a leading thinker had to be smuggled like a ‘churlish ruse.’

It also was representative of the conscience of the church and the clergymen. The only relevant moral reason against suicide, according to Schopenhauer, would be how suicide is counterproductive when it comes to the attainment of the ‘highest goal insofar as it substitutes a merely illusory redemption from this world of misery for the real one.’

Coming to the Christian perspective of suicide, we note that suffering or the cross is believed to be the real purpose of life, and rejects suicide as opposed to this, from a higher ascetic ethical standpoint. When we look at the issue from levels lower than this one, we discover that there is no longer a tenable moral reason to condemn suicide. Thus, the factor which truly determines the denunciation of killing oneself would be the ‘obligatory optimism,’ that these religions propagate.

The quote which stands out to me as a remarkable justification as to why an individual commits suicide would be from Schopenhauer, “On the whole one will find that, as soon as it comes to the point where the horrors of life outweigh the horrors of death, a human being will make an end of his life.” He says the body is the appearance of the will to life, and the destruction of it is viewed positively. When worldly anxieties reach the highest degree, one breaks off their life. Suicide can also be regarded as an experiment, wherein one tries to find the answer to what change is experienced in the human cognition through death. However, this is not a pertinent enough cause owing to the fact that the answer is received by the identity of human consciousness.