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"Plato claimed that suicide is disgraceful and its perpetrators should be buried in unmarked graves. However, Plato recognized four exceptions to this principle: (1) when one's mind is morally corrupted and one's character can therefore not be salvaged (Laws IX 854a3-5), (2) when the self-killing is done by judicial order, as in the case of Socrates, (3) when the self-killing is compelled by extreme and unavoidable personal misfortune, and (4) when the self-killing results from shame at having participated in grossly unjust actions. (Laws IX 873c-d) Suicide under these circumstances can be excused, but, according to Plato, it is otherwise an act of cowardice or laziness undertaken by individuals too delicate to manage life's vicissitudes."

Well, Plato wrote that at time when people lived in much different circumstances than we do today. There is no way to seriously suggest that we should not allow people to take their own lives. While a person has control of the rest of their lives except for the most important part, their own deaths.

Why has society deemed that life is so valuable that you can not take your own life regardless of the circumstances? It hasn't so much been society as much as it has been organized religion. Religion has, for reasons of its own, has decided that we needed a law to stop us from killing ourselves. This is incredibly arrogant.

It was sheer arrogance for religion to convince lawmakers and then for lawmakers to actually make it illegal to commit suicide. It has been so ingrained into our consciousness so deeply that nearly everyone sees suicide as wrong. But then religion has moved law makers to enact many silly laws.

The law sees no reason for suicide to be legal regardless of the circumstances or situations. Suddenly, you are deemed mentally ill and you are arrested and involuntarily sent to a mental facility.

I would argue that suicide and death should be celebrated. Life needs to be respected but there are circumstances under which death and the meeting of death should be celebrated and respected.

The idea that someone has the right to tell me that I have no right to take my own life is not only arrogant but selfish. If, for whatever reasons, it becomes important for me to end my life that is a right I should have. I should not be seen as mentally ill and locked up.
An incident in Florida a few years ago gave at least some reason for suicide or in this case perhaps assisted suicide. But her wishes or the wishes of her family were ignored by the law. That is enough to make you want to cry.

Source: Stanford.edu Cholbi, Michael, "Suicide", The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Summer 2007 Edition), Edward N. Zalta (ed.), URL = .

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