There is no moderate way to
drive drunk, its name implies that it is an extremity. By reason of being an
extremity, Aristotle would condemn drunk driving: “It is not possible, then,
ever to be right with regard to them (the extremities); one must always be
wrong” (Aristotle 383). Further illustrating belief that driving drunk is not
virtuous, Aristotle discusses the concept that in the case of drunkenness, an
individual chooses the actions which affect his state of consciousness. The
choice to drink alcohol is voluntary because it involves reason and thought.
Therefore, virtue, and the vices of this virtue are within our power. While our
actions are labeled as “voluntary”, the outcomes can either be “involuntary” or
“non-voluntary”. Involuntary actions involve regret for actions done out of
ignorance, while non-voluntary actions do not involve regret for actions done
out of ignorance. Indeed, we punish a man for his very ignorance, if he is
thought responsible for the ignorance, as then penalties are doubled in the case
of drunkenness; for the moving principle is in the man himself, since he had the
power of not getting drunk and his getting drunk was the cause of his ignorance.
(Aristotle 396) If a man is knowing of what he does when he is sober, the very
state of drunkenness makes him unjust (in respect to virtue) since he is
ignorant in this state and he has voluntarily brought himself to drink.
Thus, if
a man knowingly acts in a way that will result in his becoming unjust, he must
be said to be voluntarily unjust (Aristotle 396). Alcohol abuse is not debated
in our society-we know it is wrong, yet this does not seem to stop our actions.
Aristotle’s view of alcohol abuse in the fourth century BC is the same as the
outlook of the modern world but today’s technological advancements have
drastically increased the dangers of abuse. Driving while intoxicated is a deep
concern that is not taken lightly. I have discussed why his ethical system
proves that this is wrong, even though we know it is wrong. The point in mind is
that the problem will never cease to exist, we can only derive solutions and/or
repercussions to deal with it.
Bibliography
Aristotle, A New Aristotle Reader. Trans. J.L. Ackrill. Princeton: Princeton
University Press, 1989.
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