"Many believe that we must accept mortality with equanimity, viewing attempts to radically extend human life with suspicion, associating them with greed or self-forgetting."
"Widespread qualms about physician-assisted suicide stem less from fears of murderous intentions and more from the belief that death should come on its own terms."
"The two directives of 'Accept mortality' and 'Don't choose death' create a conflict, reflecting society's struggle with the concept of control over life and death."
"A mature and virtuous person aims to live out the natural lifespan of our species, accepting death when it arrives without actively seeking to hasten it."
There exists a societal tension regarding death, where acceptance of mortality is often accompanied by suspicion towards life extension efforts. Many view attempts to overcome biological limits as greedy or self-forgetting. Conversely, while risky behaviors that increase death risk are tolerated, actively choosing death, such as through physician-assisted suicide, is often resisted. A potential reconciliation lies in the belief that a virtuous life involves living a natural lifespan and accepting death when it arrives, without hastening it.
Read at Psychology Today
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