Name: In Defense of the Suicidal: A Response to Kant
Start: 2026-07-07T12:00:00+1200
End: 2026-07-07T12:55:00+1200

In Defense of the Suicidal: A Response to Kant

Tuesday July 7, 2026 12:00pm - 12:55pm NZST

MSB1.01

Immanuel Kant’s (2002) stance on suicide as an act of “debasing of humanity in one’s person” has sparked debates. There is discussion on (1) the sense in which suicide is a violation of the universalizability principle and the humanity formula and (2) Kant’s unclear and imprecise discussion on suicide. However, literature regarding the supposed inconsistency of Kant’s stance on suicide vis-à-vis his conception of morality remains underdeveloped – specifically, with reference to his Kingdom of Ends (KoE) formula. In this paper, I forward an account of Kant’s stance on suicide vis-à-vis KoE formula, underpinning the importance of Christine Korsgaard’s (1996a) idea of relations of responsible reciprocity (RR) among human beings. By focusing on Kant’s Groundwork for the Metaphysics of Morals (2002), as well as Korsgaard’s Creating the Kingdom of Ends (1996a) and The Sources of Normativity (1996b), I investigate why and how Kant’s stance on suicide becomes an inconsistency in his very notion of morality, with reference to KoE. I argue that in problematizing Kant’s conception of morality, it is important to reexamine his notions of universalizablity, humanity, and KoE. I conclude that in discussing Kant’s stance on suicide, it is imperative to underpin KoE, a Kantian concept that recognizes RR.

Speakers

Keisha Christle Abog

Assistant Professor of Philosophy, University of the Philippines Los Baños

Assistant Professor, University of the Philippines Los Baños
Research Interests: Philosophy for Children, Philosophy of Childhood, Kantian Ethics, Philosophy of Education, Philosophy of Humor

Tuesday July 7, 2026 12:00pm - 12:55pm NZST
MSB1.01

Ethics, Remote

AAP 2026 CONFERENCE

Keisha Christle Abog

Attendees (13)

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AAP 2026 CONFERENCE

Keisha Christle Abog

Attendees (13)

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