I would guess that a human's higher cognitive ability plays a significant role. A human's psyche plays a big role in their adaptation to a particular environment. When that cognitive model fails, the person can feel terribly out-of-sync with the world and their prospects can look bleak from this perspective that might have taken significant time and energy to establish. Animals with lesser cognitive abilities needn't cognitively adapt to their surroundings, and thus cannot create such a psychological deficit in the first place.
I think this is a tremendously insightful comment mk. I don't think an organism without meta-awareness could commit suicide.
It saddens me that research into suicide and its causes remains hampered by the significant social taboo of the subject. It's still "not okay" in many Western societies - and in much of the world in general - to talk about suicidal acts, suicidal ideation, or suicidal feelings. As a result, the potential base of subjects for suicide research remains low, even where suicide rates are high.
Very interesting topic. If I may take purely bioligical approach.The language we use around suicide confusee the evolutionary perspective. If we just view ourselves as cellular beings which is what we what we are, 20 trillion or so cells. Then its easier to understand suicide. To preserve low food, the safety of the group and to prevent less than optimal contribution to future generations which could wipe out a line of genes then the cells activate apoptosis on a massive scale. . Apoptosis is cell death. bat
Yeah, but apoptosis is a very specific method of cell death that is mainly used for preservation of the organism, as well as for shaping during ontogeny. I think it's a stretch to draw any parallels between a self destructive, conscious act, and a healthy, natural, unconscious process.
This was an incredibly interesting post. Suicide as a concept and act is something that should be explored more in the mainstream, as it's something that most people simply brush off as being unacceptable (see: DanQ's comment). theadvancedapes: Have you ever read The Stranger or The Myth of Sisyphus by Albert Camus?
The both intertwine Absurdism with the concept of suicide. The Myth of Sisyphus is a philosophical essay that poses and answers a pretty specific question asked by Camus: Should the fact that life is meaningless be addressed by committing suicide? The Stranger isn't quite so blunt and to the point as it's a short novel, and also my favorite work of his. The same concept and question posed in The Myth of Sisyphus is posed here, but to a much lesser degree. This novel attempts to explore the absurdity of living as opposed to delving into suicide.
That is an interesting concept. I have found that the apparent "meaninglessness" of life is something that atheists must encounter frequently when discussing life with religious people. For me, I just try and find meaning in my own passions, interests, friends, and family. You have to make your own meaning since the universe is indifferent to your existence.