Ethics of Suicide: An Examination of Theological and Realist Views

This essay delves into the complex ethical considerations surrounding suicide, particularly when faced with an incurable disease. It examines how philosophical studies and theological texts shape human behavior and moral principles. The author explores the impact of ethics on an individual's decision-making process, focusing on the tension between the desire to escape suffering and the societal and religious values that emphasize the sanctity of life. The essay analyzes the perspectives of theological texts, such as the Bible, and their influence on ethics, highlighting the concept of balance and the consequences of actions. The concept of realism is also discussed, considering how the suffering of the individual influences the decision-making process. The essay concludes that, based on the analysis, suicide is ethically unacceptable and that ethics play a major role in shaping human lives.

Running head: ETHICS
ETHICS
Name of the student
Name of the university
Author note

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Executive summary
The report is aimed at understanding the ethics that stops an individual from committing a
suicide in a given situation. The most important consideration that is being undertaken by the
person while reviewing on the ethics is based on the principles of the ethics. The given situation
of an individual suffering from an incurable disease and the question as to the person’s ethics on
committing the suicide is being discussed in this report. The main purpose of this report is to
understand the value of implementing the ethics and the function that the ethics performs relating
to the integration and the maintenance of the balance of the nature.

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Table of Contents
1 Introduction...................................................................................................................................3
2 General discussion on the problem...............................................................................................4
2.1 The notion of the theological texts........................................................................................4
2.2 The notion of realism.............................................................................................................6
3 Conclusion....................................................................................................................................7
References........................................................................................................................................9

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1 Introduction
Philosophical studies have enumerated certain emotion sand morals that have helped in
maintaining the essence of the human behavior. The ethics help in maintaining the important
considerations of the human life depending on the morals that is being enumerated depending on
the justified note of the human existence. The most important consideration that is being
undertaken by the people in order to understand the point of ethics is to frame their lives
depending on the morals. The morals help them monitor over their habits and the manner in
which they represent themselves in the society. Human beings are considered to be sociable in
nature, therefore in order to sustain in the society humans are required to adhere to certain ethics.
The study of theological texts have enumerated ethics depending on the requirements of
the society and based on the individual requirements of the people. These theological texts have
given out ethics that have helped in the making of the ideal characteristics of the people and
shaping their characteristics based on the same. The most important consideration that is
undertaken for the report is based on the human existence and discusses the fundamental concept
of taking the individuals life (commit suicide) in order to avoid the atrocities of the incurable
disease. In order to understand the appropriateness of the step that must be taken by the human
suffering from the disease certain steps of discussion are being undertaken for the lucid
understanding the ethics that governs the step. The discussion that is being undertaken in this
report helps in the understanding of ethnicity of the action and thereby clarifies the delusion that
encircles the action.
The report aims at understanding the perspectives of the ethics that is being applied in the
present situation and thereby make a decision depending on the outcome. The most important

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consideration that is being administered in the report is based on the effectiveness of the human
ethics and thereby takes decisions based on the ethics that governs the humanity. The report
enumerates ways in order to make use of the ethics to make the notion clear as to the
appropriateness of the action that is being taken.
2 General discussion on the problem
The problem that has been stated according to the aims this report is based on the
ethnicity of committing a suicide by a person suffering from a certain incurable disease. The
point of discussion will be based on the ethnicity of the action and not on the incurable disease.
People might face several issues in their lifetime, but committing a suicide is taken as an attempt
of making an escape. At times, it might seem tempting for the person suffering from the illness
but from the ethical point of view, it is by no way a step that must be administered by an
individual (Kleiman, Riskind and Schaefer 2014). On the other hand, people might find it
ludicrous and insane to live a life full of misery. The perspective of the person affects the ethics
through the actions and the decisions taken by the person in order to incubate the disease or to
fall for the same. The discussion of this analysis is based on the requirements of the ethics while
considering the decision of committing a suicide in order to escape the consequences of an
incurable disease. The most important consideration that is being undertaken by the person is
based on the outlook of the person and the person’s believe on the ethics that holds the society.
2.1 The notion of the theological texts
The most important question underlined by the theological texts in this context is the
basics of the life on earth. The theological texts have enumerated the ethics based on the
principles set down for healthy living of the people and the proper integration of the humankind

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and the nature (Bureau et al. 2012). The balance helps in maintaining the ethics. On the other
hand, the imbalance in the nature, both internal and external, can be the cause for the demolition
(McCrudden 2013). The most important fundamental concept that must be understood by the
person while taking the decision of committing suicide is based on the ethics of the person that
the person believes in. an escapist will always think of moving away from an issue that is
hindering the way (Omerov et al. 2014). It is like swaying away and taking the other way. On the
other hand, a person who is born with the mentality of resolving the problem and striving for the
same to the last breath is again another exception to the perceptions (Kirchhoffer 2013). Ethics
depend on the mentality and the outlook of the people, therefore the theological texts influences
the people depending on the perceptions and outlook they have for the issue they are into.
Everyone in this world is facing a need of existentialism but committing a suicide just for the
cause of an incurable disease is simply a folly that must be judged and revised accordingly.
The theological texts have provided with the view of making the necessary changes in
order to maintain the balance of the nature. The theological texts like the Bible or the others
affirm that a poetic justice is being provided to every individual because of the actions that are
being undertaken by the individuals. The theological texts have outlined the ethics of
determining the importance of the life that has been delivered to the individuals. According to
some of the theological texts, the life is supposed to be a gift from the All Mighty. Therefore,
committing a suicide might be simply taken as a blasphemy as it would be disregarding the gift
that is being delivered (Santayana 2014). Critically it might be taken as the initiative of the
theological texts in preventing the humankind from committing suicides. The different parables
and stories given out by the texts relates to the ethnicity of the decisions that is being taken by
the individuals since ages and the outcomes. These parables might be considered as the simple

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fairy tales or examples in order to understand the meaning of life discussed in the apparition of
the fable (Noddings 2013). The outlook of the individuals will be helping the person in
perceiving the message that is being borne of the parable. The question of the ethics relating to
the issue that is being discussed in this analysis is based on the criteria of the outlook of the
person opting for an easier option other than facing the consequences of the incurable disease
(Edlund et al. 2013). The most important consideration that the person must undertake in order
to understand the ethics of the decision is based o the mentality of the person and the outlook that
the person holds in this connection.
The most important consideration while undertaking and revising the ethics is based on
the principles of the ethics that is being presented by the texts. Committing a suicide is like
killing a life. It shares the same atrocities of murdering, and is therefore taken as a sin according
to the theological texts (Bayertz 2012). Theologists, who believe in the principles of ethics, have
churned the necessity of living a good life based on the ethics that’s is being enumerated by the
texts in order to escape from the circumstances and the sufferings that the humankind suffers. On
the other hand, committing a suicide is like escaping from the consequences of the deeds that the
person once pronounced. Therefore, it is a sin to be an escapist according to the theological texts.
2.2 The notion of realism
People might be more focused on the suffering that is being faced by the individual in
considering the effectiveness of the ethics in the lives. The most important consideration that is
being discussed in this context is based on the suffering that the person is into not considering
the ethical point of view in undertaking a hasty decision (Neal 2012). The hasty decision that is
being undertaken by the individual is based on the pointlessness of the existence in a situation,
which will not be changing. The situation influences the decision that is being taken by the

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person in order to avoid the consequences that old age or mortality might bring forth (Fromm
2013). The realism that influences the ability of the person in making the decision is based on the
habits of the individuals and the mental setup.
The report aims at understanding the suitability of committing the suicide in order to
avoid the circumstances of the incurable disease is being portrayed. It can be a fallacy to depend
on the ethics while suffering to the end of breath. A person, therefore might commit a suicide in
order to surpass the consequences that the person is destined to face with the person’s
dependence on the ethics (Baranzke 2012). The concept of realism is based on the facts and
therefore it can be understood that no such evidence has ever been presented in order to make
sure that committing a suicide is unethical, apart from the legacies presented by the theological
texts.
3 Conclusion
Therefore, from the above analysis it can be concluded that the ethics play a major role in
shaping the lives of the humans and therefore committing a suicide being unethical should not be
undertaken. The circumstances might be different at different times but the ethics must not vary
according to the circumstances. The variation in the ethics according to the situations and the
circumstances will facilitate anarchy into the society and the social structure might be disrupted.
If people started committing suicides depending on the issues that are being faced by the people
in their everyday life, the society will experience a steep fall. The people form the society,
therefore the steps that are being taken by the people clearly administers the formation of the
society. The question of morality is being answered through the synthesis of the theological texts
and the manner in which the theological texts affect the problem is being resolved. Therefore, it

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can be concluded that it is completely unethical for a person to commit a suicide while suffering
from an incurable disease.

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References
Baranzke, H., 2012. “Sanctity-of-Life “—A Bioethical Principle for a Right to Life?. Ethical
theory and moral practice, 15(3), pp.295-308.
Bayertz, K. ed., 2012. Sanctity of life and human dignity (Vol. 52). Springer Science & Business
Media.
Bureau, J.S., Mageau, G.A., Vallerand, R.J., Rousseau, F.L. and Otis, J., 2012. Self‐
determination: a buffer against suicide ideation. Suicide and Life-Threatening Behavior, 42(4),
pp.377-393.
Edlund, M., Lindwall, L., Post, I.V. and Lindström, U.Å., 2013. Concept determination of
human dignity. Nursing ethics, 20(8), pp.851-860.
Fromm, E., 2013. Man for himself: An inquiry into the psychology of ethics (Vol. 102).
Routledge.
Kirchhoffer, D.G., 2013. Human dignity in contemporary ethics. Teneo Press.
Kleiman, E.M., Riskind, J.H. and Schaefer, K.E., 2014. Social support and positive events as
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Research, 18(2), pp.144-155.
McCrudden, C., 2013. In pursuit of human dignity: An introduction to current debates.
Neal, M., 2012. “Not gods but animals”: human dignity and vulnerable subjecthood. Liverpool
Law Review, 33(3), pp.177-200.

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Noddings, N., 2013. Caring: A relational approach to ethics and moral education. Univ of
California Press.
Omerov, P., Steineck, G., Dyregrov, K., Runeson, B. and Nyberg, U., 2014. The ethics of doing
nothing. Suicide-bereavement and research: ethical and methodological
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Santayana, G., 2014. The Life of Reason Or The Phases of Human Progress: Reason in Religion,
Volume VII, Book Three(Vol. 7). Mit Press.