Citation

Feldman DB. Death Stud. 2006; 30(6): 529-538.

Affiliation

Department of Counseling Psychology, Bannan Hall, Santa Clara University, 500 El Camino Real, Santa Clara, CA 95053-0201, USA. dbfeldman@scu.edu

Comment On:

Death Stud 2006;30(6):511-27

Comment In:

Death Stud 2006;30(6):555-60

Copyright

(Copyright © 2006, Informa - Taylor and Francis Group)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

16773773

Abstract

In his article in the current issue of Death Studies, "Can Suicide be a Good Death?" David Lester argues that each person should determine whether suicide is appropriate for him or her in relative isolation from the opinions of others. In the present article, I use a utilitarian ethical perspective to critique this assertion. According to utilitarianism, the "goodness" of an action is judged by its impact not only on the individual, but also upon others. As such, I review research demonstrating that suicide has harmful emotional, interpersonal, and economic effects upon individuals and society. Ultimately, the rightness or wrongness of choosing to commit suicide cannot be determined in isolation from the broader consequences of this choice.

Language: en