The Politics of Suicide

Miasma and Katharmos in Plato’s Political Thought

Bibliographic Data

ID6212142
AuthorsRichard Avramenko (0000-0002-7611-2610, Political Science Department, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin, USA), Philip Dane Bunn (0000-0002-0710-3382, Clemson Institute for the Study of Capitalism, Clemson University, Clemson, South Carolina, USA)
Year2024
Volume53
Issue2
Pages94-105
Publication date2024-04-02
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenuePerspectives on Political Science (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1045-7097 • E-ISSN: 1930-5478
PublisherInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/10457097.2024.2327135
OpenAlexW4394581295
LanguageEN
Citations received1
References cited29

Despite the laudable efforts of the medical and scientific community, the suicide contagion of the early twenty first century shows little sign of abating, especially amongst veterans. This article suggests that a supplemental resource for addressing the contemporary problem of suicide might be found in the history of political thought. Namely, we suggest turning to Plato who construes suicide as an action perpetrated by an identifiable and culpable individual who, in committing suicide, harms the polis itself. For Plato, this political harm must be understood in terms of pollution (miasma) and purification (katharmos). We suggest that Plato's arguments against suicide might be helpfully adapted into our preventative repertoire today, and that these arguments might be particularly poignant and helpful for military service members, both active duty and veteran

Political science · Politics · Psychoanalysis · Sociology · Classical Antiquity Studies · Classical Philosophy and Thought · Historical, Religious, and Philosophical Studies · Law · Philosophy · Psychology

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