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Relationship between "Ich" and "Der andere" in Améry's "Hand an sich legen"
Straková, Zuzana ; Kouba, Petr (advisor) ; Švec, Ondřej (referee)
(in English) This thesis deals with the relationship between The Self and The Other as presented in the works of Jean Améry, especially in his book about suicide. To think about the relationship between these two agents means also to think about freedom, humanity, the right to life, and the right to voluntary death. The first part of the thesis is concerned with the definitions of the relevant concepts; the second part reflects on the concept of voluntary death. It is precisely the voluntary death that can be the most radical result of the culmination of misunderstanding between The Self and The Other. For voluntary death is not only a decision not to live at this time and place but also a decision to leave this society, the others. According to Améry, the decision to commit suicide is a free, natural, and humane act. By saying that suicide is a free act Améry argues against the deterministic teachings of psychologists. Améry believes that voluntary death is a natural response to inhuman, humiliating, or for any other reason unacceptable life conditions. He thinks that voluntary death is also a humane act, as it gives men the opportunity to stop existing when there is a threat to their existence as human beings, for example when they get dehumanized like a muselman in a concentration camp. In the...
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