SUICIDE
Books selected and
reviewed by James Park,
existential philosopher
and advocate of the right-to-die with careful safeguards.
The following books are
organized in order of quality, beginning with the best.
The paragraphs in black
are intended to present objective facts about each book.
The remarks in red are the
evaluations and opinions of this reviewer.
1. Thomas Szasz
Suicide Prohibition:
The Shame of Medicine
(Syracuse,
NY: Syracuse University Press,
2011) 132 pages
(ISBN: 978-0-8156-0990-2; hardcover)
(Library of Congress call number: RC569.S93 2011)
Continuing his
attack on coercive psychiatry,
Thomas Szasz offers a sustained argument
that no one should have the power to confine and 'treat' another human
being
because of alleged tendencies to kill himself or herself.
However, he
offers no alternatives to the standard practice
of using the police power of the
state to confine individuals
considered to be a danger to
themselves and/or others.
Created
January 18, 2014; Revised