Is "anti-value" a valid concept?

[mdegges]

However this falls short of responding to the primary bone of contention, does actively preparing for one's own death necessarily mean that one has abandoned life as a standard of value? 

 

I don't see what the contention is. Actively preparing for death is NOT the same as actively seeking death (or more specifically, making arrangements to end your own life, which is what euthanasia entails).

[Harrison Danneskjold]

Just to add- life is not the standard here

Exactly; that's why I thought it would make an excellent example.

But Dormin's link pretty much cleared up the issue for me.

[Devil's Advocate]

I don't see what the contention is. Actively preparing for death is NOT the same as actively seeking death (or more specifically, making arrangements to end your own life, which is what euthanasia entails).

If the disposition of ones property involves life as a standard, then it stands to reason that the disposition of ones life, as ones property, involves that same standard.  Affecting the timing of ones death only asserts some control over the inevitable.  Otherwise longevity becomes the standard, does it not??

[mdegges]

Here's my reasoning:

Life is the standard of value. Making arrangements for your family so that they'll be taken care of after you die will give you some peace of mind while you're still alive. We can call this actively preparing for death. (I think we both agree that this can be a value.)

However, in death, no values exist. For all intents and purposes, 'you' no longer exist. 'You' (body, mind, and soul) are completely gone. As such, death cannot be a value because it completely destroys 'you'.

A person who wants to end his life early (for various reasons) no longer values life.. namely- his own life. Now I don't believe this is necessarily a bad thing- as mentioned above, when the terminally ill choose euthanasia, I respect that decision because there is no hope of recovery and very little to look forward to in the future. The quality of life can greatly diminish for these people, to a point where living causes more suffering than it's worth. I think for these people, life ceases to be the standard of value- it has become valueLESS.

Edited June 3, 2013 by mdegges

[Devil's Advocate]

Life is the standard of value. Making arrangements for your family so that they'll be taken care of after you die will give you some peace of mind while you're still alive. We can call this actively preparing for death. (I think we both agree that this can be a value.)

Agreed

 

However, in death, no values exist. For all intents and purposes, 'you' no longer exist. 'You' (body, mind, and soul) are completely gone. As such, death cannot be a value because it completely destroys 'you'.

Agreed; death is valueless.

 

A person who wants to end his life early (for various reasons) no longer values life.. namely- his own life. Now I don't believe this is necessarily a bad thing- as mentioned above, when the terminally ill choose euthanasia, I respect that decision because there is no hope of recovery and very little to look forward to in the future. The quality of life can greatly diminish for these people, to a point where living causes more suffering than it's worth. I think for these people, life ceases to be the standard of value- it has become valueLESS.

I am uncertain that a person who wants to end their life no longer values it.  Would that same person want to end their life if whatever catalyst led them to this decision were removed?  When the thing one values most becomes unavailable, e.g. wellness precluded by terminal illness, it seems to me that the choice to end life isn't a rejection of wellness, but rather a rejection of terminal illness; a rational choice made to affect the inevitable according to the standard of life one has known.

 

Perhaps it's a case of judging the glass to be half full or half empty when you're no longer thirsty.

 

 

[mdegges]

I see what you mean, and that's a nice way of looking at it.. but I also think that committing suicide is a complete and total rejection of life. Yes, a person may be rejecting illness (or heartbreak, or a bad living condition, etc) by choosing to end their life early, but they are also rejecting everything else in life- including the positive aspects of it. It's not just a rejection of one thing, it's a rejection of all things.

[Devil's Advocate]

I see what you mean, and that's a nice way of looking at it.. but I also think that committing suicide is a complete and total rejection of life. Yes, a person may be rejecting illness (or heartbreak, or a bad living condition, etc) by choosing to end their life early, but they are also rejecting everything else in life- including the positive aspects of it. It's not just a rejection of one thing, it's a rejection of all things.

 

As a rejection of all future choices this is certainly true.  In the sense of exerting some control (timing) over events beyond ones control, it may represent ones final authority over their own life.  It remains an interesting test of the premise of life as ones ultimate value, and I'm not willing to condemn those who make this choice over continuing to struggle to live, although I'd certainly encourage them to struggle for hope that some future choice might alter their circumstances.

 

Thanks for your perspective.

Edited June 6, 2013 by Devil's Advocate

[Harrison Danneskjold]

Mdegges: you were right.