Can a Philosophy Make one Philosophical (IN: Essays in Self-Destruction, ed. by E S Shneidman)

Pepper describes a philosophy as a set of concepts that helps keep the individual emotionally balanced in relation to the reality of the situation he is involved in. Someone choosing to follow a certain philosophy would be acting rationally. However, he states, there are limits to rational thought that emerge from the emotional side of one’s personality, that have bearing upon self-destructive behavior. Suicidal behavior is examined as an emotional rather than intellectual response. (NBB)