Kant Substance Abuse

Improved Essays
The Abuse of Drugs and Excess Alcohol Taking
The abuse of illegal drugs and alcohol among poor people considered immoral based on both Kant’s and Mill’s philosophies. One of the immoral aspects is the use of different prohibited substances and the excessive consumption of alcohol. Here, such people are breaking the law by going against using such drugs while; although excessive drinking may be within the law, it becomes unethical when it affects the person’s ability to handle their responsibility . Laws are based on morality and they are meant to control the behaviors of people and try to guide them towards molarity. Going by Kant’s standards, drug abuse tends to break all the rules that Kant based his argument on. Firstly, the person involved
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Poverty and joblessness is associated with drug abuse and excessive consumption of alcohol. Therefore, self-will can be used in such case to convince the individuals to change their attitudes towards life. It is also believed that decision to quit substance abuse is usually derived from personal will. Poor people are usually hopeless and they believe they have got nothing to lose; therefore, they are not concerned with consequences. Additionally, drug abuse and alcohol consumption is usually associated with huge expenses that may drain the already little income that such people make. Therefore, such people should be made to understand that that they ought to manage their finances better no matter how little they …show more content…
This is due to the financial implications involved in such behaviors. Poor people are already going through financial constraints; therefore, indulging in such activities only worsens their situation. Therefore, there is a need to approach the issue from a moral point of view. Kant offers an approach where morality should be practiced by self-will where individual should focus on what they ought to do rather than what they want. On the other hand, Mill’s approach is based on the consequences and the judgment on whether the action brings happiness or suffering. In addressing these moral issues, Kant’s approach is a better option as it fits into the circumstance. Morality is based on what people believe in and act without the fear of consequences. Therefore, the issue of substance abused should be addressed in a manner that involves the self-will of the individuals involved (Herman, 2007). Additionally, the misuse of social welfare services should be approached from a self-will angle since the consequence-based Mill’s approach is

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