Rational Suicide: Is It Possible?: Reflections on the Suicide of Martin Manley
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| Title: | Rational Suicide: Is It Possible?: Reflections on the Suicide of Martin Manley |
|---|---|
| Description: | It is slowly becoming accepted that people with terminal illnesses who are suffering physically and mentally from the illness have the moral and legal right to choose suicide and, in some jurisdictions, they have the ability to obtain assistance from others in accomplishing their suicide. Physician-assisted suicide is legal in Oregon and other regions of the USA and in some countries such as Switzerland. However, the presence of a psychiatric disorder in the individual usually makes it illegal for a physician to assist individuals (by prescribing a lethal dose of medication) in dying by suicide. What if the person does not have a terminal illness? Does this mean that their choice of suicide cannot be a rational decision? What if the person can be diagnosed with a psychiatric disorder? Does their psychiatric disorder eliminate the possibility of rational thought? Typically, today, the answer to both of these questions is “Yes.” In this book, David Lester, a renowned scholar in the field of suicide, argues that the answer to both questions should be “No.” In August 2013, Martin Manley chose to die by suicide and left a website in which he had written his thoughts for the previous year and a half. Lester analyzes Manley's writing, and relevant psychological research, to argue that Manley's decision was the result of rational thinking despite the fact that Manley did not have a terminal illness. The book also examines the notion that people with a psychiatric disorder cannot think rationally or make rational decisions. Lester first criticizes psychiatry for being scientifically unsound and then presents evidence that those labeled by psychiatrists as having a mental illness can make rational decisions. Lester also presents the case of Jo Roman who was suffering from terminal cancer, who refused further treatment and arranged to die by suicide supported by her husband and large circle of friends. Lester concludes that deaths by suicide may be rational more often than we commonly believe and that these deaths may be appropriate ways of dying. |
| Authors: | Lester, David |
| Resource Type: | eBook. |
| Subjects: | Suicide--Moral and ethical aspects, Rational suicide |
| Categories: | POLITICAL SCIENCE / Public Policy / Social Services & Welfare, POLITICAL SCIENCE / Public Policy / Social Security |
| Database: | eBook Collection (EBSCOhost) |
| FullText | Links: – Type: ebook-pdf Text: Availability: 0 |
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| Header | DbId: nlebk DbLabel: eBook Collection (EBSCOhost) An: 676817 RelevancyScore: 1057 AccessLevel: 6 PubType: eBook PubTypeId: ebook PreciseRelevancyScore: 1057.36352539063 |
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| Items | – Name: Title Label: Title Group: Ti Data: Rational Suicide: Is It Possible?: Reflections on the Suicide of Martin Manley – Name: Abstract Label: Description Group: Ab Data: It is slowly becoming accepted that people with terminal illnesses who are suffering physically and mentally from the illness have the moral and legal right to choose suicide and, in some jurisdictions, they have the ability to obtain assistance from others in accomplishing their suicide. Physician-assisted suicide is legal in Oregon and other regions of the USA and in some countries such as Switzerland. However, the presence of a psychiatric disorder in the individual usually makes it illegal for a physician to assist individuals (by prescribing a lethal dose of medication) in dying by suicide. What if the person does not have a terminal illness? Does this mean that their choice of suicide cannot be a rational decision? What if the person can be diagnosed with a psychiatric disorder? Does their psychiatric disorder eliminate the possibility of rational thought? Typically, today, the answer to both of these questions is “Yes.” In this book, David Lester, a renowned scholar in the field of suicide, argues that the answer to both questions should be “No.” In August 2013, Martin Manley chose to die by suicide and left a website in which he had written his thoughts for the previous year and a half. Lester analyzes Manley's writing, and relevant psychological research, to argue that Manley's decision was the result of rational thinking despite the fact that Manley did not have a terminal illness. The book also examines the notion that people with a psychiatric disorder cannot think rationally or make rational decisions. Lester first criticizes psychiatry for being scientifically unsound and then presents evidence that those labeled by psychiatrists as having a mental illness can make rational decisions. Lester also presents the case of Jo Roman who was suffering from terminal cancer, who refused further treatment and arranged to die by suicide supported by her husband and large circle of friends. Lester concludes that deaths by suicide may be rational more often than we commonly believe and that these deaths may be appropriate ways of dying. – Name: Author Label: Authors Group: Au Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Lester%2C+David%22">Lester, David</searchLink> – Name: TypePub Label: Resource Type Group: TypPub Data: eBook. – Name: Subject Label: Subjects Group: Su Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Suicide--Moral+and+ethical+aspects%22">Suicide--Moral and ethical aspects</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Rational+suicide%22">Rational suicide</searchLink> – Name: SubjectBISAC Label: Categories Group: Su Data: <searchLink fieldCode="ZK" term="%22POLITICAL+SCIENCE+%2F+Public+Policy+%2F+Social+Services+%26+Welfare%22">POLITICAL SCIENCE / Public Policy / Social Services & Welfare</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="ZK" term="%22POLITICAL+SCIENCE+%2F+Public+Policy+%2F+Social+Security%22">POLITICAL SCIENCE / Public Policy / Social Security</searchLink> |
| PLink | https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=nlebk&AN=676817 |
| RecordInfo | BibRecord: BibEntity: Classifications: – Code: 362.28 Scheme: ddc Type: prePub Languages: – Code: eng Text: English Subjects: – SubjectFull: Suicide--Moral and ethical aspects Type: general – SubjectFull: Rational suicide Type: general Titles: – TitleFull: Rational Suicide: Is It Possible?: Reflections on the Suicide of Martin Manley Type: main BibRelationships: HasContributorRelationships: – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Lester, David – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Lester, David IsPartOfRelationships: – BibEntity: Dates: – D: 01 M: 01 Type: published Y: 2014 – D: 21 M: 05 Type: profile Y: 2014 Identifiers: – Type: isbn-print Value: 9781629486666 – Type: isbn-electronic Value: 9781629487298 Titles: – TitleFull: Rational Suicide: Is It Possible?: Reflections on the Suicide of Martin Manley Type: main |
| ResultId | 1 |
