Philosophical Perspectives on Suicide by Paolo Stellino
summary of Philosophical Perspectives on Suicide by Paolo Stellino:
Paolo Stellino’s Philosophical Perspectives on Suicide offers a comprehensive exploration of how suicide has been understood, debated, and theorized within the history of philosophy, tracing responses from antiquity to contemporary thought. Rather than treating suicide merely as a medical or sociological phenomenon, Stellino situates it in the realm of ethics, metaphysics, and existential inquiry, showing how attitudes toward self-killing reflect deeper conceptions of human freedom, morality, and the meaning of life. The book engages with classical thinkers such as Plato, Aristotle, and the Stoics—who variously condemned or legitimized suicide under certain circumstances—as well as Christian theologians like Augustine and Aquinas, who framed it as a grave sin against God and natural law. Moving into modern philosophy, Stellino examines how Enlightenment and post-Enlightenment figures like David Hume, Immanuel Kant, and Arthur Schopenhauer transformed the debate by tying suicide to autonomy, rationality, and the problem of suffering. The work also gives special attention to existentialist perspectives, especially those of Albert Camus and Jean-Paul Sartre, who considered suicide in relation to the absurd and the project of living authentically in a world without inherent meaning. Stellino further engages contemporary discussions, including analytic philosophy’s focus on autonomy and bioethics, and critical theory’s engagement with the politics of life and death. Throughout, he demonstrates that suicide functions as a mirror of broader philosophical commitments—whether affirming life’s value, questioning the legitimacy of self-destruction, or exploring the boundaries of personal freedom. Ultimately, the book underscores that suicide is not only a tragic human reality but also a profound philosophical problem, one that continues to test our ethical categories and our understanding of what it means to live and die well.
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