A Philosophical Account of Self-Destruction

Presenter: Grace Campbell (Confirmation milestone)

In much of philosophical scholarship, self-destruction is viewed as something people avoid. If self-destructive behavior is performed, it is viewed as being in the service of some greater pleasure or goal, or viewed as being a result of ignorance or madness. In this paper, I argue that self-destruction can be sought in itself and for itself. To do this, I will engage with Sabina Spielrein’s essay Destruction as the Cause of Coming into Being and Jean Amery’s essay On Suicide. These texts both situate self-destructive behavior as phenomenon with its own logic and appeal.