Thanatology - The Science Of Death - Alternative View

Table of contents:

Thanatology - The Science Of Death - Alternative View
Thanatology - The Science Of Death - Alternative View

Video: Thanatology - The Science Of Death - Alternative View

Video: Thanatology - The Science Of Death - Alternative View
Video: Perspectives on Death: Crash Course Philosophy #17 2024, November
Anonim

In recent decades, cases of voluntary deaths have become more frequent. In different countries, people of different ages and social categories suddenly get tired of living, and they hang themselves, jump from the roofs of high-rise buildings and bridges, cut their veins. The reasons for the increased incidence of suicide are usually called problems at work, in personal life, the political situation, and the crisis in the country. But often such cases occur even for no apparent reason, which is especially strange.

Suicide of humans and animals

Suicide is most common among adolescents in transitional crisis. But even among adults with families, good income and work, such cases are not uncommon. Moreover, often an attempt to leave this life occurs spontaneously, for no reason. For example, a woman from Kazan of retirement age was so staring at the shiny blade that, as if under hypnosis, she tried to cut her veins. It was only a miracle that misfortune was avoided. In another case, a man in St. Petersburg, standing on a balcony, almost stepped from the 8th floor, as a voice called him. There are many such cases, and often this happens to people who have never suffered from depression and were not going to do this. It's just that at some point they start to uncontrollably pull over the balcony rail, or you want to cut your veins, or eat a lethal dose of medicine.

Cases of mass suicide are also known among animals. This happens especially often with whales and dolphins, sometimes throwing themselves ashore in whole flocks. So, in 1987, one of the most massive cases of dolphin suicide occurred, when 2 thousand individuals were thrown off the coast of Brazil, including both adults and calves. In 1990, 183 whales committed suicide on the shores of Tasmania. And such cases are far from isolated - they occur with enviable regularity.

Scientists try to explain such incidents by the fact that submarines and ships interfere with marine mammals, which navigate in the water using waves of a certain length. As a result, the "navigation apparatus" of whales and dolphins malfunctions and therefore they are thrown ashore. But this theory cannot take into account and explain all factors.

Among land mammals, suicides are especially known in lemmings. These mice, when their population is especially high, begin to migrate en masse, often ending their way, jumping into water bodies. In the case of lemmings, the theory of interference from ships cannot work in any way, so it became clear that the reasons for this behavior were different.

Promotional video:

Thanatology - the science of death

As a result, a scientific direction called thanatology appeared, which studies the reasons for such behavior of living beings. Experts dealing with this problem have created a hypothesis that explains the appearance of an inexplicable craving for death of living beings. According to her, every living organism has 2 main programs at the genetic level - one is responsible for the survival of the species in any conditions, the second is aimed at self-destruction. When the first one works, the species is able to survive and reproduce in almost any conditions, even very harsh ones. If at a certain moment the population size exceeds a certain critical limit, when this can upset the balance in the environment, the second program is turned on. As a result, deaths from commonplace causes are becoming more frequent, and in addition, suicide attempts, including massive ones, are becoming more frequent.

Researchers working on this problem believe that this pattern can work for both animals and humans. However, it is not yet possible to reliably prove or disprove this version.

Suicidal fashion

In addition, suicidal tendencies have recently become quite fashionable among adolescents. In the network, certain individuals create groups, which involve young people, whose psyche, as you know, is still fragile and easily amenable to the influence of experienced manipulators. As a result, cases in which teenagers try to commit suicide have recently increased significantly.

Conspiracy theorists believe that those who draw young people into such groups on social networks are trying to weaken the country, since adolescents are the future of the state.

Be that as it may, along with the program of self-destruction, presumably embedded in a person, there is another program in him, acting exactly the opposite. It is she who helps to survive in such conditions that doctors and scientists later only shrug their shoulders. So, in Norway, a little boy stayed in the icy water for almost an hour, falling there by accident. When he was found, the child showed no signs of life, but when he was given a heart massage and artificial respiration, he came to his senses.

There are also many such cases of amazing resilience, when people survived in truly unbearable conditions. And this suggests that a lot in the struggle for life depends on the person himself. If he has enough willpower, he can overcome any problem and cope with the call of death.