A philosophical Account of Self-Destruction

Event Details

Date:

Friday, 12 August 2016

Time:

2:00 pm - 3:00 pm

Room:

E302

UQ Location:

Forgan Smith Building (St Lucia)

URL:

https://hapi.uq.edu.au/node/2056

Event category(s):

Full Description:: 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.