i liked this. i think if you are in a bad place you shouldnt be looking for triggering material in the first place, but if you choose to read this, read it until the end. critchley lays out the arguments for and against suicide as only a tenured professor of philosophy could, and it somehow didnt outrage or anger me as i imagined it would. he takes a critical look at suicide and for some reason it put me at ease. being suicidal isnt irrational or crazy or insane, but from a philosophical angle, can you ever be sure that taking ones own life is a fully rational decision? and that was sobering to read. you cant be sure. and it was very nice reading the take downs of religious and libertarian arguments against and in favor of suicide, respectively.

i would say the only way this book could 'fail' is if you want something less 'objective' and more 'sentimental'. and critchley doesnt really attempt to be an objective voice of reason. he just tries to dialogue about an extremely taboo and stigmatized topic through his own framework. but this is clearly something he cares about and has been affected by, and if youre worried hes going to be mr. logic the whole book, things do end on a very nice note.

one thing i didnt like was how he compared suicidal people to mass murderers even if he raised some interesting points about how young men are turning to murder-suicide. i thought that was extremely fucking tasteless.

anyway i recommend this to almost everyone. id avoid it if youre suicidal and looking for a reason to justify your suicide and are going to read the first half of the book. read the whole thing in that case.

This essay is only 76 pages long, and it is absolutely beautiful.

I don’t agree with everything Simon Critchley writes in here, but he writes it all with such grace, humour and tenderness, that it’s impossible to ignore.

The philosophy, along with ancient and modern history intertwined, made this an experience of a book, and it really touched me.

while there is nothing ground breaking or new in this set. the honesty and love played into discussing this difficult and elusive topic is clearly evident.