Suicide Note

[Slowbalt]

Anyone hear of this yet? I am currently working my way through it and it is very interesting.

 

Here is a link to the pdf

 

http://www.scribd.com/doc/38104189/Mitchell-Heisman-Suicide-Note

 

My campus newspaper, 18/10/10 wrote:

 

On September 18, Mitchell Heisman blew his brains out with a revolver on the steps of Harvard Memorial Church in front of a tour group of about 30 people. While not noteworthy in and of itself, suicides on campus not being totally unheard of, what is notable about Mitchell Heisman is the 1905-page suicide note which he emailed to over 400 people in the hours preceding his exit.

...

"Suicide Note"is a masterpiece of modern philosophy and a brilliant application of socio-biological theory to politics. I have read 400 pages of it so far, and have been unable to put it down.

The book is a magnificently written, unbelievably well-researched, poignant and thought provoking work, that confirms that philosophy is still alive in the 21st century.

I do not agree with his final thesis regarding the embrace of nihilism and the rejection of hope in a possible revaluation of all values. However, this work contains what is probably the most brilliant synthesis of the technological singularity theory, a scathing critique of modern liberallism, and what is probably the most original theory regarding the roots of the American Civil War.

...

One must admire his sense of humor when he writes 'It is highly unlikely that I will have the opportunity to defend this work."As a work of modern philosophy, its importance and value should not be understated. Yet the book has, as the author predicted, been repressed. Not by the censor of the mainstream media, but by that supposed paragon of liberal exercise, Wikipedia.

If one types Mitchell Heisman's name into Wikipedia, you will be unable to find a page dealing with him. The page has been deleted. Digging a little farther, one can find the talk page housing the debate over the article's notability and appropriateness.

...

Now I know what you're thinking: "So what? The guy blew his brains out, wanted his book to get out, and now you're proving his freedom of speech hypothesis wrong by writing about him in a public forum." And you'd be right. What I find most interesting about the response to the work is that no one appears to have actually read it, and that people have been only so eager to post links to the downloadable version and say "There Mitch, up yours you arrogant bastard! Your book isn't being repressed!"

....

At the very least, Mitchell Heisman makes for an interesting and curious case. While thankfully not the lost work of David Foster Wallace, as opined by the wits at dailyrotten.com, "Suicide Note"is a compelling masterwork that deserves scrutiny and voice.

 

 

 

True enough, this is what Wikipedia has to say about Heisman;

Wikipedia wrote:

 

Mitchell Heisman was a 35 year old man from Massachusetts who published a 1,905 page book entitled Suicide Note and then committed suicide on the steps of Memorial Church of Harvard University in September 2010.

 

 

 

Google doesn't help much either. There are links to a couple of blog posts, and the second link is far less helpful than even Wikipedia.

 

 

 

Thoughts and opinions?

[sol740]

Damn it ... now I have to keep reading.

[unfunnyryan]

Lots of great authors don't become famous until they are dead. Guess he didn't want to wait.

[Slowbalt]

Lots of great authors don't become famous until they are dead. Guess he didn't want to wait.

 

This was my first thought as well, haha. He is very intelligent and it is very well written. I don't know if I have the patience to sift through 1905 pages but it is worth a skim at least

[oh8sti]

Its a shame, he was a brilliant writer.

[Dr. Pomade]

I didn't read much, but I was stuck by the irony of someone writing about sociobiology and Darwinism and then committing suicide.

[gamereric1]

In his own mind suicide was a rational thought. Maybe he realized that he does not want to be a part of the world he was living in.

[Hwilli1647545487]

I think I will read this. I will say goodbye now, just in case I agree with his conclusion.

[Dr. Pomade]

In his own mind suicide was a rational thought. Maybe he realized that he does not want to be a part of the world he was living in.

 

I'm not so sure rational and suicide belong in the same sentence together. Of course, I suppose I could come up with a few scenarios in which suicide is rational (the scene from Aliens comes to mind when the butch Latina Marine and the other dude are trapped in the ventilation shaft decide to blow themselves up with a grenade rather than succumb to the approaching aliens), but I'd think, for the most part, suicide is an irrational action, or an action preempted by irrational thinking.

 

Just my take.

[Dr. Pomade]

I think I will read this. I will say goodbye now, just in case I agree with his conclusion.

 

Here are the cliffs:

 

- Society sucks

- *bang*

 

Please don't off yourself, though. I miss seeing you in the gym just working on your fitness.

[AWW$HEEET]

Here are the cliffs:

 

- Society sucks

- *bang*

 

Please don't off yourself, though. I miss seeing you in the gym just working on your fitness.

 

Don't inflate his ego

[Hwilli1647545487]

I already have a very abnormal view on death (abnormal based on the majority anyway).

 

I do need to get back to my fitness.

[sol740]

The more I read, the more I see myself agreeing with some of his ideas about evolution, and man creating god supernaturally, before we could create him technologically. My heart is breaking a little thinking someone so thoughtful, and intelligent, could reduce their existence into an "experiment in nihilism". I'm only 200 or so pages in, so I can't honestly pass any real judgement yet. I'm not sure if I will read the whole 1900 proper, I can already feel my brain wanting to skip paragraphs when he goes off on a philosophical tangent. However that has been the exception so far, and he often quotes one of my favorite authors/scientists, Mr. Richard Dawkins, which never hurts, unless you're a fundie.

 

However I truly hope this doesn't end in an "obviously clinically depressed" manor, and that he somehow quantifies his position in a way that I will wholeheartedly disagree with, yet can still see some validity in from a purely methodical perspective. Seeing as this thesis tends to err philosophically, as opposed to strictly scientifically, i don't see that being too terribly probable.

[sol740]

This just *blew my mind*.

[Dr. Pomade]

I thought there for a second he was off base and he was like - BANG! - and totally hit the bullseye.

[Orion]

I disagree, this reads like mindless drivel.

[Dr. Pomade]

I disagree, this reads like mindless drivel.

 

This thread needs your negativity like I need a hole in the head.

[sol740]

This thread needs your negativity like I need a hole in the head.

 

Your baseless reply destroys itself upon closer examination.

[Dr. Pomade]

Your baseless reply destroys itself upon closer examination.

 

I'm not even sure why you felt obligated to reply to my post - it's not like someone was holding a gun to your head.

[sol740]

Looks like we are both sending ourselves straight to hell.

[Orion]

Anyone who argues with Doc probably has more guts than brains.

[Dr. Pomade]

Looks like we are both sending ourselves straight to hell.

 

We'll pass the suicide dude who's being held in limbo on the way there...

 

[Orion]

He's kinda crazy, you may find yourself staring down a barrel.

[Twistedrx7]

think there will be a lot of people killing themselves and giving props to the book for it?

[Orion]

I don't know about that, but I think Mike was dying to get on the bestseller list.