Should one encourage or discourage people to quit smoking?

Vegan message board for support on vegan related issues and questions.
Topics include philosophy, activism, effective altruism, plant-based nutrition, and diet advice/discussion whether high carb, low carb (eco atkins/vegan keto) or anything in between.
Meat eater vs. Vegan debate welcome, but please keep it within debate topics.
User avatar
brimstoneSalad
neither stone nor salad
Posts: 10370
Joined: Wed May 28, 2014 9:20 am
Diet: Vegan

Re: Should one encourage or discourage people to quit smoking?

Post by brimstoneSalad »

PsYcHo wrote: Is it always informed consent? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x4c_wI6kQyE .
I remember that. And how they use cigarettes as medicine, it's terrible. That's a great example of it not being informed consent.

I would say the informed consent thing mainly goes for Westerners. North America, Europe, Australia, and more developed Asian and African countries where public information about the dangers of smoking is available. That's also why it's so critical that health warnings be displayed clearly on cigarette packages in all relevant local languages.
User avatar
ThinkAboutThis
Newbie
Posts: 48
Joined: Thu Jan 07, 2016 8:42 am
Diet: Vegan

Re: Should one encourage or discourage people to quit smoking?

Post by ThinkAboutThis »

brimstoneSalad wrote:It might be clearer to call it negligent suicide
This is an interesting read (http://www.jstor.org/stable/3750741?seq ... b_contents).
You have to create an account to read it for free online, but it's quick and easy.
brimstoneSalad wrote:...we could also be wrong in calling the suffering animals experience at the hands of humans "torture", since torture is causing pain to another to certain ends (as punishment, to extract information, or compel behavior).
That's a good point.
brimstoneSalad wrote:They're not forced into it, they choose it as a way to maximize damage (and get a reward).
Surely there'd be incidents where children are forced/threatened into "suicide" bombing by their leader, despite not actually wanting to do die. If this were the case, it technically wouldn't be suicide, however, it would still be a suicide bombing since a "suicide" and a "suicide bombing" hold different meanings.

There's a noteworthy part in that link (above) which looks into sacrificial suicide.
ThinkAboutThis wrote:In the quote tag, you add ="ThinkAboutThis"
Cheers. :mrgreen:
User avatar
brimstoneSalad
neither stone nor salad
Posts: 10370
Joined: Wed May 28, 2014 9:20 am
Diet: Vegan

Re: Should one encourage or discourage people to quit smoking?

Post by brimstoneSalad »

ThinkAboutThis wrote: Surely there'd be incidents where children are forced/threatened into "suicide" bombing by their leader, despite not actually wanting to do die. If this were the case, it technically wouldn't be suicide, however, it would still be a suicide bombing since a "suicide" and a "suicide bombing" hold different meanings.
They may be told it's the only way to please Allah and go to heaven.

An important distinction in suicide bombings (at least Islamic ones), is that they have been lied to -- told Islam is correct, and that the interpretation that encourages them to commit violent Jihad is the correct one.

There's no way to give informed consent if one is improperly informed. But how often is suicide really well informed?

I'd say information is relative to the morality of it, but it still may be classified suicide even if it's based on misinformation or delusion.
User avatar
Sawyer
Newbie
Posts: 4
Joined: Tue Feb 09, 2016 1:26 pm
Diet: Pescetarian

Re: Should one encourage or discourage people to quit smoking?

Post by Sawyer »

Considering that cigarettes are tested on animals, discouraging smoking is the better choice. Also, I don't think encouraging people to kill themselves because they aren't vegan is an ethical thing to do.
User avatar
Jebus
Master of the Forum
Posts: 2391
Joined: Fri Oct 03, 2014 2:08 pm
Diet: Vegan

Re: Should one encourage or discourage people to quit smoking?

Post by Jebus »

Sawyer wrote:I don't think encouraging people to kill themselves because they aren't vegan is an ethical thing to do.
Interesting question. In any case, I don't think there wouldn't be anything unethical about remaining neutral, i.e. letting the non-vegan kill him/herself without intervening although intervention may have saved them.
How to become vegan in 4.5 hours:
1.Watch Forks over Knives (Health)
2.Watch Cowspiracy (Environment)
3. Watch Earthlings (Ethics)
Congratulations, unless you are a complete idiot you are now a vegan.
User avatar
brimstoneSalad
neither stone nor salad
Posts: 10370
Joined: Wed May 28, 2014 9:20 am
Diet: Vegan

Re: Should one encourage or discourage people to quit smoking?

Post by brimstoneSalad »

Jebus wrote:
Sawyer wrote:I don't think encouraging people to kill themselves because they aren't vegan is an ethical thing to do.
Interesting question. In any case, I don't think there wouldn't be anything unethical about remaining neutral, i.e. letting the non-vegan kill him/herself without intervening although intervention may have saved them.
Remaining neutral could be sound. Like not intervening in somebody trying to jump off a bridge. It could be argued it's that person's choice. Unless, of course, that person didn't know doing that would be dangerous.

There may be something to said for a simple "I won't bother you again about this, but I just want to make sure you're as informed as you want to be about the possible dangers of smoking".
Post Reply