Why Death Is Most in One's Self‐Interest, and Necessarily So

Most of us think that death is usually not in the self-interest of the one who dies. Let us momentarily put this belief aside and examine death in a new light. This paper presents a two-step argument to show why death is most in one's self-interest, necessarily. The first step contends that death minimizes one's bad at no loss of one's good, such that if one's life has or will have any bad whatsoever, death is most in one's self-interest. The second step maintains that all possible self-interested lives have extrinsic bad given their potential to be better. Hence, death is most in one's self-interest, necessarily. This paper challenges prevailing notions on death and remains fruitful even for those readers disinclined to accept its conclusion. Attempting to determine where the argument goes awry provides an opportunity to sharpen one's own views on death.