PHILOSOPHY AND PRAXIS

Suicide, the intentional and voluntary taking of one’s own life, is a key health concern for all age groups in many parts of the world and is viewed to be one of the leading causes of death. Consequently, it is worrisome that Nigerians who ordinarily would go to any length to preserve their life, now more readily engage in the act of suicide. Therefore, the reason for this new paradigm has become the question begging for answer. This essay employed the method of analysis to investigate Immanuel Kant’s claim that suicide is irrational. Kant’s moral framework condemns suicide because its maxim is not universalizable and also that the rational will as the very source of universal normative principles could not authorize its own destruction. The study discovered that there are generally three reasons for suicide among Nigerians viz; influence of unmediated global culture, faulty orientation and socialization and poor mental health management. Based on these findings, the researchers agreed with Kant that suicide is irrational. It thus recommended that an understanding of Kant’s philosophy on suicide would engender quicker resolution of the life-threatening social and psychological problems bedevilling Nigerians, and consequently reduce the level of suicide in the country.

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