Ricky Williams: Rusting Talents

In his chapter "The Good Will and the Categorical Imperative," Immanuel Kant demonstrates situations where a maxim, if universalized, would become self-defective.  He also explained the problems with these maxims in regards to the principle of humanity.  One particular scenario that grabbed my attention involved rusting talents.  Kant explained a situation where an individual chooses to, for example, play video games, eat pizza, and drink alcohol all day long (behave worthlessly) without ever being productive.  He goes on to ponder the effects if this behavior became a universal law of nature.  Would our society remain sustainable?  No, Kant proclaims.  Behaving in this manner is only possible if others are working (making the pizza, distilling the alcohol, and manufacturing/programming the video games).  The original individual's behavior is made possible by others behaving in an opposing way.  Additionally, the self-indulging behavior would preserve humanity, but it would do nothing to further it.  Moreover, "it is not enough that the action (self-indulgent behavior) does not conflict with humanity in our person as an end in itself; it must also harmonize with it" (113).  The individual's behavior clearly does not harmonize with the well-being of humanity. 

Vegetarianism on a National and Individual Scale

A recent article published on the Voice of America website revealed that there has been a sharp decrease in the amount of meat consumed in America in recent years, presumably due in part to the spread of vegetarianism. “For the first time on record, U.S. per-capita meat consumption has declined for four consecutive years, according to the most recent figures from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The six percent drop between 2006 and 2010 is the largest sustained decline since recordkeeping began in 1970. (voanews.com)” The article admits that that change is most likely due in part to economic changes in the US, but suggests that it is also has something to do with vegetarians and ‘flexitarians.’ The article notes that there has been a rise in campaigns such as “Meatless Monday”, which is implemented at DePauw, as well as many other schools and organizations around the world. A major reason why more and more people are attempting to eliminate meat from their diets is because it can be unhealthy. Additionally, livestock, especially cattle, are terrible for the environment because they must be given a huge amount of water and grain every day to survive.

            In his article, Shafer-Landau argued that there is little or no reason for an individual to become a vegetarian, even if it is the ethically correct thing to do, because that individual’s contribution on its own would have no impact on the meat industry. Although it doesn’t prove that an individual can influence the meat industry on thir own, it does report that people who abstain from meat have collectively made a difference. Shafer-Landau agrees that this is true, but seems to be greatly underestimating the influence that one person can have on others. For example, the article mentioned Joe Yonan, the food editor for the New York Times, who received numerous letters of praise for his decision to stop eating meat. It seems likely that an influential person such as him could perhaps encourage others to convert as well. Even if someone isn’t as famous as Yonan, they still have some influence of their friends, who in turn influence their friends. There is certainly a possibility that one individual converting could lead to a snowball effect. Additionally, even just a few vegetarians in a small community can have a dramatic effect. In my fraternity, for example, only a small portion of the total house are vegetarians, but because of us, some of the food served for every meal is always meat-free. And since that food is bought locally, (usually from Krogers) it could potentially have a minute effect on the amount of meat products sold by that retailer, which just might be significant enough to eventually cause enough reduction of demand to prevent one or more animals from being hurt or killed, and that is reason enough for me.

Works Cited

Baragona, Steve. "As World Meat Consumption Grows, US Appetite Wanes." Voice of America [Washinton] 3 Apr. 2013: n. pag. Voice of America. Web. 23 Apr. 2013. <http://www.voanews.com/content/as_world_meat_consumption_grows_americas_appetite_wanes/1634222.html>.

Obligation to Do What's Right?

Link to article: Apathy towards injured kid

This article reports an accident in China, where a 2-year-old girl was hit twice by two vans one after another. The little girl was left bleeding on the road side for over 15 minutes and eventually died in the hospital. During the time she lied bleeding on the road, 18 people walked by, saw her injured body, but chose to do nothing to help the kid. Millions of people around the world have decried this “lack of morals” in the Chinese society.

The Morality of Laws Limiting Generic Drug Sales

           While some believe that there are not any general starting points for ethics due to human difference, Russ Shafer Landau argues in his book, “The Fundamentals of Ethics” that, “there are some reasonable constraints that can guide us when thinking about how to live.”(6) One of these constraints applies to current events involving the limitation of generic drugs by name-brand companies. Landau’s argument that, “neither the law nor tradition is immune from moral criticism,”(6) illustrates the current ethical debate of whether a law restricting generic drugs is morally correct.