Suicidio: fine del desiderio? La scelta di Giuda negli scritti di Alberto Magno

Through an in-depth analysis of Albert the Great’s writings, this paper aims to examine the theme of suicide as annihilation of desire and thus as a deliberate interruption of that inexorable appetitive ‘mechanism’ described by Aristotle as a natural law governing the entire universe.To this end the first part of the study provides a very general outline of the philosophical and theological reasons why every physical entity is essentially desiring. The second part, on the other hand, focuses on the Gospel figure of Judas as a prominent case of suicide, examining the reasons and possible justifications for his act.