ABSTRACT
I have argued that our current conceptual apparatus and language of self harm is limited, and does not allow us to distinguish with sufficient subtlety between suicidal acts of different kinds. In Chapter 6, I
discussed some problems in defining suicide and developed definitions of suicide as applied both to persons and to acts. I now want to extend my examination of the natural history of human self destruction by elaborating and extending the vocabulary of suicidal self harm. In doing so, I will be introducing some new expressions, and elaborating and suggesting particular uses for others. I will begin by distinguishing between suicide and two other varieties of human act with which it is sometimes confused: cosmic roulette and suicide gesturing. After that I will say something about assisted suicide.
