There's a certain danger in framing life continuation in terms of value to society though. I don't say this flippantly because I've wrestled with these things in a very real sense, and appreciate the argument you're trying to make. I'm not trying to trivialize it.
However, it's ethically a slippery slope in the strongest sense:
There's the argument that older people don't have an obligation to live as long as possible because it puts a burden on younger individuals when the older individuals aren't contributing "'much' to society anymore."
But how do you define "much"? Who gets to define that?
Logically, too, that argument can't just apply to the elderly anymore, so now you have to apply it to the population at large. Where do we draw the line at that? People in prison? The severely disabled? The socioeconomically less fortunate? How do you make the distinction between the self-destructive thoughts of the depressed versus others? Is the depressed person always wrong?
I tend to think that the decision to end one's life is the ultimate manifestation of autonomy, and as such should be protected and respected.
But by the same token, sometimes I think these discussions are slightly misguided, in that we should be focused on improving life circumstances rather than on the means by which someone dies. To extend your example a bit, I'd argue that if age burden is a tremendous issue for society, why not invest, in a "moonshot" kind of way, in eliminating old age as a disease state, along with the stereotypes that go with it? Why is there so much focus on preventing suicide rather than improving people's well-being?
Death is inevitable, but sometimes I think we spend too much time focused on whether people should be able to choose to end their lives, and not enough on how to prevent them from being in that state where the decision is even an issue.
Finally, I see a lot of these types of posts on HN, about suicide and euthanasia; I appreciate them but wonder if, and if, so, why, they appear here more than in other places.
> Why is there so much focus on preventing suicide rather than improving people's well-being?
There isn't a focus on merely preventing suicide while not improving well-being. Anyone working in suicide prevention or public health will talk - at length - about the wider determinants of health and mental health.
If it appears that there's a focus on preventing death over other measures that's because the work has focussed streams of activity. General health and well being does get discussed on HN.
However, it's ethically a slippery slope in the strongest sense:
There's the argument that older people don't have an obligation to live as long as possible because it puts a burden on younger individuals when the older individuals aren't contributing "'much' to society anymore."
But how do you define "much"? Who gets to define that?
Logically, too, that argument can't just apply to the elderly anymore, so now you have to apply it to the population at large. Where do we draw the line at that? People in prison? The severely disabled? The socioeconomically less fortunate? How do you make the distinction between the self-destructive thoughts of the depressed versus others? Is the depressed person always wrong?
I tend to think that the decision to end one's life is the ultimate manifestation of autonomy, and as such should be protected and respected.
But by the same token, sometimes I think these discussions are slightly misguided, in that we should be focused on improving life circumstances rather than on the means by which someone dies. To extend your example a bit, I'd argue that if age burden is a tremendous issue for society, why not invest, in a "moonshot" kind of way, in eliminating old age as a disease state, along with the stereotypes that go with it? Why is there so much focus on preventing suicide rather than improving people's well-being?
Death is inevitable, but sometimes I think we spend too much time focused on whether people should be able to choose to end their lives, and not enough on how to prevent them from being in that state where the decision is even an issue.
Finally, I see a lot of these types of posts on HN, about suicide and euthanasia; I appreciate them but wonder if, and if, so, why, they appear here more than in other places.