Suicide and Evolution: a Philosophical Analysis of the Definition of Suicide and an Examination of the Relationship Between Suicide and Evolution

This book is a three part analysis of suicide from a philosophical perspective. First, this analysis is an attempt to explain the phenomenon of suicide from an evolutionary perspective. It is a thoroughly Naturalistic analysis, one that pays homage to Darwin's brilliant insight concerning the origins of life. Second, many philosophers have written about the definition and moral status of suicide. This analysis sets forth the ideas of several highly influential philosophers such as Plato, Immanuel Kant, and David Hume. Third, I attempt to justify my definition of suicide as well as its extension in the natural world. If suicide is the intentional act of killing oneself and if the distinction between intentionally X-ing and intending to X is correct, then our commonplace, intuitive understanding of the class of actions which count as instances of suicide is mistaken. Those agents who heroically sacrifice themselves for the sake of others are included in the definition, despite the altruistic intentions of the agent. The rhetoric surrounding suicide is revealed by analyzing the evolutionary factors which contribute to self damaging behavior.