5 ms·
> I agree that people should have the right to choose death, independent of the rationality of their decision I don't think that that there is an ethical imper
by aeturnum 5y ago
> I agree that people should have the right to choose death, independent of the rationality of their decision
I don't think that that there is an ethical imperative to allow people to carry out irrational decisions. I was trying to say that, if someone with depression or another chronic mental illness decides they would rather be dead than alive, then after we determine that decision doesn't come from a passing[1] delusion, then we should give that desire the same weight we give to people with other chronic conditions. We all have the right to choose, after a time, that we do not want to live this way.
I also think that having a global standard for "rational" v.s. "irrational" is difficult enough that I think drawing strong lines tends to do more harm than good. So, in practice, I suppose I support people who "irrationally" wish to end their lives, but only due to the impossibility of determining what 'rational' means for each of our subjective perspectives.
[1] Whatever "passing" means - it is not an easy question.
- s1artibartfast 5y agoI think we agree in principle. I think that defining rational vs irrational IS difficult, and therefore choose to draw the line such that it doesn't matter for a persons right to choose. This addresses the fact that a severely depressed person may not be able to make the same objective assessments of the world that the chronically I'll can. A severely and chronically depressed person might think "I have no chance at happiness" when in reality, they actually do. If they base their decision on this premise, they would be following faulty logic. My point is that they have a fundamental right to act based on their conclusions, even if they are wrong.
- aeturnum 5y ago> My point is that they have a fundamental right to act based on their conclusions, even if they are wrong. 100% agree!