Suicide continues to be a controversial issue in society based on two schools of thought proposed by Christians and secular philosophers ( Chun, 2018). While the latter category maintains that suicide and acts such as euthanasia are personal decisions and should, therefore, be accepted and hence not condemned, Christians find that suicide undermines the laws of nature and righteousness. This essay, therefore, aims at evaluating Immanuel Kant's perception of suicide as well as his infamous arguments with regards to the issue.
Kant considers suicide an immoral act based on the fact that it dehumanises an individual. As a philosopher, the author determined that an individual is granted the freedom to decide upon the causes of action to take using both the laws of nature and logic ( Uleman, 2016) . When one decides to attempt suicide, they, therefore, disrupt the structure and function set forth by nature by ending one's own life. Similarly, other forms of voluntary killing such as euthanasia and assisted suicide are further considered acts that defile personhood over which an individual fails to have control.
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Additionally, Kant maintains that killing oneself is unacceptable, and hence killing other individuals is equally uncouth. The scholar finds that the will of self-destruction makes little difference in resolving the problematic life from which the individual concerned tried to escape and is, therefore, selfish and immoral. According to Kant's philosophy, suicide and other intentional forms of self-destruction should remain impermissible within the society ( Uleman, 2016) . In conclusion, this text has examined Kant's perception of suicide and different intentional ways of self-destruction. The author views the act as immoral and unethical and hence should be considered unacceptable.
References
Chun, J. (2018). Two types of killings in Kant. American Philosophical Association.
Uleman, J. (2016). No King and No Torture: Kant on Suicide and Law. Kantian Review , 21 (1), 77-100.
