Kant’ın İntihar Üzerine Görüşlerinin Stoacı Temelleri
The Stoic Foundations of Kant’s Views on Suicide

Summary/Abstract: Unlike the Stoic philosophers, who think that suicide is morally permissible or even morally good under certain conditions, Kant firmly positions suicide as immoral under all conditions. By appealing to Kant’s views on suicide, this article will show that even though Kant’s attitude towards suicide initially appears to be contrary to the Stoic attitude towards it, Kant’s disapproval of suicide has Stoic foundations. In order to better grasp the justification of Kant’s views on suicide, I will first present a general introduction to Kant’s duty-based moral philosophy so that the foundations of the duty to life arising from the moral theory and the consequences of this duty on suicide will be revealed. As is well known, although there is only one universal and necessary moral law, according to Kant, there are three different formulations of it. Through these three formulations of the moral law, Kant systematically emphasizes various aspects of human nature step by step. In the first formulation, it is emphasized that human beings are part of nature, that is, we are creatures of nature. In the second formulation, Kant points out that humans are not only part of nature but also rational creatures who have dignity and deserve respect due to our capacity for rationality. In the third and final formulation, Kant argues that humans are not only beings who obey the rules of reason but also have the capacity to give laws to themselves, which in turn means that we should be regarded as both the members and rulers of the kingdom of ends we establish. In this study, I argue that just as the moral principle of stoicism, the three formulations of Kant's moral law command us to recognize different aspects of our nature and act according to it. Therefore, by pointing out the Stoic foundations of Kant’s moral philosophy, in this article, I aim to advance a novel interpretation of his moral philosophy and his account of suicide.

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