Aristotle Essay Research Paper An ethical issue — страница 2

am not assuming a person is an alcoholic simply because of driving drunk) decides to quit drinking, the first few months may be hard to cope with since the alcohol was the former solution to a problem. As time goes on, alcohol is less and less thought of and has become easier to abstain from. Sometimes there is not a mean for an action or passion because its name already implies its badness. This is the case with drunk driving. 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. Aristotle, A New Aristotle Reader. Trans. J.L. Ackrill. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1989.