Original scientific paper

Utilitarianism, Internal Perspective, and the Question of Suicide

Elvio Baccarini orcid.org/0000-0002-6771-9859 ; University of Rijeka, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Rijeka, Croatia

Abstract

In a recent book, Christopher Cowley has expressed the problems of the concept of rationality related to the utilitarian discussion about suicide, as well as in general the concept of rationality which is directed by the appeal to external reasons. Contrary to this, Cowley defends the internal perspective as the only trustworthy in such decisions. I will analyze directly his criticism of Richard Brandt and David Hume. The intention of the paper is to offer a more precise interpretation of Hume (in comparison to that offered by Brandt and Cowley) and compare the arguments for and against internal and external reasons. The conclusion is a conditioned acceptance of the perspective of internal reasons.

Keywords

Richard Brandt; Christopher Cowley; David Hume; suicide; utilitarianism

Hrčak ID:

72757

URI

https://hrcak.srce.hr/72757

Publication date:

8.9.2011.

Article data in other languages: croatian

Visits: 3.151 *