[lit-ideas] Re: A Fine Distinction

On Dec 26, 2007 12:57 PM, <Jlsperanza@xxxxxxx> wrote:

>
> *Then I mention "nice distinction". The quote here perhaps does not have
> philosophical pedigree, but it may interest anthropologist McCreery. It's
> from *
> **
> *        1974 Current Anthropol. 15 134 *
> *        "There is a nice distinction between suicide, self-sacrifice, and
> martyrdom."*
> **
> --- I would need credentials as to origin of author to see what she means!
>

The anthropologist in me is curious how many of us are persuaded of the need
for the author's credentials to see what she means. I would have to consult
the article in which the sentence appears to check the accuracy of my
reading. But, as a plausible first stab, I offer

Suicide= to escape one's own pain or despair
Self-sacrifice= for the sake of others, e.g., women, children, family,
members of the same fire brigade or military unit
Martyrdom=for the sake of a transcendent, religious or ideological, cause

As a prototypical case where which of the three is the most likely
explanation, I offer an anthropological chestnut, the Indian custom of
suttee (or sati), in which a widow is burned alive on the funeral pyre of
her husband. If she willingly participates in this event, is the widow in
question (1) escaping despair at the state in which the loss of her husband
leaves her; (2) sacrificing herself for the sake of her family's reputation;
or (3) fulfilling a religious obligation in an extreme form for which the
label "martyrdom" is appropriate?

The author's credentials strike me as a red herring.

John
-- 
John McCreery
The Word Works, Ltd., Yokohama, JAPAN
Tel. +81-45-314-9324
http://www.wordworks.jp/

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