Do we have a duty to die? I believe that extending our conception of individual identity (both communally and temporally) should allow us to answer the question more easily in the affirmative. In certain circumstances, we can conceive of a society which thrives owing to our physical death; if we have respect for the self which we define within the frameworks of said society, then we have a duty to that self to end our own lives. Beyond our death, our self continues in our progeny, works, customs, traditions, and knowledge, thus, in death, we only give up a part of ourselves so that the rest may flourish. In practical terms, this addresses overpopulation; inverted age structures; resource scarcity; as well as issues of intergenerational justice and distribution. My research will focus upon the construction of such an argument and its consequences.
Supervisors
Prof. Michael Hauskeller
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