The Suicide Wave
Philosopher William James had a solution
After back-to-back suicides this month — first by fashion designer Kate Spade and then travelogue chef Anthony Bourdain — social observers and news outlets again wondered if our nation is facing an unacknowledged suicide epidemic.
“Treatment for chronic depression and anxiety — often the precursors to suicide — has never been more available and more widespread,” the New York Times noted in June. “Yet the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention this week reported a steady, stubborn rise in the national suicide rate, up 25 percent since 1999.”
America has been here before. In the mid-1890s, authorities puzzled over a “suicide craze” among young men. Then, as today, the suicide index may point to a crisis in social and individual purpose. Philosopher William James (1842–1910) thought so—the psychologist struggled with depression himself — and in response wrote his 1895 lecture and essay, “Is Life Worth Living?”
James argued that we urgently need philosophies of individual purpose and intention to counter the impulse that life is not worth living. He was right. Even today we see that social policy and pharmacology—vital as they are—are not enough to stem the tide of emotional turmoil. As individuals and as a nation, we must rediscover James’ insights. They can save lives.
