Utilitarianism is an ethical theory that focuses on outcomes and consequences. When one considers the theory of utilitarianism, it must be understood that the pleasure is a fundamental moral good and the aim is to maximize pleasure and minimize pain. So, when a human is going through the decision making process it is of the utmost importance to look forward at the consequences of the decision and determine if the decision will maximize pleasure and minimize pain. John Stuart Mill, a nineteenth century philosopher focused on the theory of utilitarianism or the Greatest Happiness Principle and claimed that the maximization of happiness for the greatest quantity of people is the ultimate goal. One issue that we face in modern day America that …show more content…
In a case study presented by Logan Peterson, of Santa Clara University, the ethics behind the decision to lower the drinking age to eighteen is presented to the reader. On the campus of many universities, there is the issue of underage binge-drinking. According to the article, binge-drinking accounts for ninety percent of alcohol consumed youth under twenty-one. (Peterson) This is an extremely concerning statistic because drinking can lead to risky behavior like unsafe sex, sexual assault, and unintentional injuries due to intoxication. Therefore, as a result, school like Dartmouth have banned liquor from campus. The culture on college campuses promotes drinking and heavy drinking more than ever before and some look to blame the drinking age as the reason why. In the case study, Peterson discusses how in Spain the drinking age is eighteen and their culture there varies greatly from the United States. Since, teens can drink with their parents, in their homes at a younger age, they have time to learn to drink responsibly before going off on their own. However, in the United States, many teens must wait until they have freedom from their parents to take part in drinking. This unfamiliarity and newfound freedom promotes heavy drinking and partying. But there is another side to the argument, if the drinking age is lowered to eighteen it puts a great number of …show more content…
Individuals must make sacrifices for greater happiness. Waiting to drink for three more years could be considered a sacrifice. But that sacrifice can be considered a noble on in the eyes of Mill and utilitarian’s because it promotes pleasure and happiness for the greater good. A sacrifice is not truly considered a sacrifice unless it is for the good of others and waiting to drink until the age of twenty-one and being a responsible member of society who does not take part in underage binge-drinking is a sacrifice that utilitarian’s would be supportive of. Making this sacrifice would keep many young adults out of trouble and would also keep those around them safer. In high school, it is easy to succumb peer pressure and if drinking is legal and involved high schoolers could make impulsive decisions that could be harmful to themselves or their peers. Therefore, it is in the best interest of the population to make a sacrifice and put off the drinking age to twenty-one so teens can develop fully without the pressures of
According to the CDC, underage drinking is responsible for more than 4,300 deaths per year, but why? Most teenagers are uneducated and unsupervised when it comes to consuming alcohol and its effects. If one doesn’t teach about the effects of alcohol, then it could become disastrous for not only the user but others too. Most teenagers may only know a fraction of the effects based on experience or from seeing it in movies or television. I believe that if the drinking age was lowered, teenagers could be better educated to drink more
The public agrees 72 percent of adults think that lowering the drinking age would make alcohol more accessible to kids, and nearly half think that it would increase binge drinking among teens. Lowering the drinking age would worsen the problems of underage and binge drinking. Advocates often point out that if a young adult is old enough to go to war and vote, he should have the power to imbibe alcoholic beverages. Does society think we should lower or higher the drinking age? Research indicates that when the minimum legal drinking age is 21, people under age 21 drink less overall and continue to do so through their early 20s.
In the article “College Presidents Seek Debate on Drinking Age” the issue of lowering the drinking age from 21 to 18 is strongly discussed by college presidents and various organizations and Universities. Even though both parties agree that alcohol abuse in colleges is an extensive problem in schools around the country, college organizations are debating with lawmakers to lower the drinking age. With the intention to reduce driving accidents and deaths due to alcohol abuse, the drinking age was elevated to 21, creating the rejection of many college students and administrators in the country. Lowering the drinking age to 18 would not have much impact in the attitude of young people since there is no much difference in maturity in 3 years. This statement is supported by a Duke University sophomore from Singapore, where the drinking age is lower.
Results show that lowering the drinking age has negative impacts on society. One example of a negative effect is binge drinking and unwanted pregnancies. In addition to the negative effect of binge drinking, another negative effect is the number of accidents caused by underage drinkers. As well as binge drinking and the number of accidents cause being negative effects on society, teaching students how to be safe while drinking sounds great, but what are the chances that students will actually
According to Main in ¨Underage Drinking and the Drinking Age” from the Policy Review, lowering the drinking age to eighteen from twenty-one would increase the harsh effects that are currently impacting our society and our military. Main insists that the United States should not get rid of the laws that set 21 as the mandatory minimum age for drinking, known as the ¨21 laws.¨ Although there are laws and severe consequences for those who drink under the age of 21, underage drinking is a huge concern, especially at college. When the undergraduates binge drink, drinking five or more alcoholic drinks on one occasion, they not only have the potential to hurt themselves, but also their peers. For example, over 474,000 students have unprotected sex,
Benefits of a Lowered Drinking Age A majority of the civilized world has set the drinking age to 18, yet America has decided on the puritanically high age of 21. Until 1987 the drinking age was 18, but in 1987 it was nationally mandated that the age increase to 21, and following this mandate came some very negative consequences. Reports of students cutting class after drinking, classes absences due to hangovers, fighting after drinking, and grades sinking after drinking increased after this law was passed (Engs 2014).
As a country, we need to redefine the culture surrounding alcohol so that we can create a society which breeds knowledge and understanding about alcohol. People are going to drink and get drunk no matter what the legal age is. Our only hope as a society is to address what it means to us to have “socially responsible drinking.” The next task is to figure out how to teach it. By generating informed citizens and exposing them to this knowledge at an early age, we can aim to demystify the term “drinking responsibly.”
College presidents from more than 120 US universities are calling on lawmakers to consider lowering the drinking age from 21 back down to 18. The group argues that the current laws actually encourage binge drinking on campus (“President 's Campaign”). The rise of the drinking age from 18 to 21 caused far more problems than it has solved in today 's society. Regardless, crimes are going to be committed, alcohol related or not, but controlling and monitoring it would decrease the crime rate, rather than teenagers drinking secretly, with little to no supervision at all. “ The 21 year drinking age has not reduced drinking on campuses, it has actually probably increased it” says Middlebury president John McCardell.
An issue that has yet to be solved is “Should the minimum drinking age be lowered from twenty-one years to eighteen years?” People have been in controversy over this topic since the late 1900s. The National Minimum Drinking Age Act was passed in 1984, which required states to raise the legal age to purchase and possess alcoholic substances to twenty-one. According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in 1991 after the Act was passed, the rate of alcohol consumption among people eighteen to twenty years of age dropped from fifty-nine percent to forty percent; the rate of alcohol consumption among people twenty-one to twenty-four years of age dropped from seventy percent to fifty-six percent (www.cdc.gov). More than fifty scientific
According to the CDC fact sheet regarding the legal drinking age, after all states adopted an age of 21 as their minimum legal drinking age, drinking during the previous month among people from age 18 to 20 years old declined from 59% in 1985 to 40% in 1991. The fact sheet also states that drinking among people age 21 to 25 also declined when states adopted the age 21 year old minimum legal drinking age, from 70% in 1985 to 56% in 1991. These statistics are significant due to the large decreases in the percentages of people drinking. This indicates that the law is effectively lowering the rates of teens and adults alike that are drinking. Less drinking overall has been a general goal of the government for a long time, and this minimal legal drinking age is helping make that a
Over the years, there have been debates about lowering the drinking age in the United States to eighteen. People argue that if a person can fight in the military or vote in elections, then he or she should be allowed the right to drink alcohol. Others feel that it is not wise to lower the legal drinking age because the results would be dangerous. Although there are arguments for lowering the drinking age, there is also an abundance of research that proves lowering the drinking age would be destructive. The legal drinking age should not be lowered to eighteen because it will give high school and even middle school students greater access to alcohol, interfere with brain development, adult rights begin at twenty-one, and increase traffic accidents among the youth.
Alcohol abuse and alcoholism seems like an issue that keeps getting increasingly worse each year in the United States. According to USA Today and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention both say that approximately 6 people die from alcohol poisoning, caused from binge drinking, each day, which amounts to roughly 2,200 people each year. The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism says that “In 2013 an estimated 697,000 adolescents ages 12–17 (2.8 percent of this age group) had an [alcohol use disorder]” (“Alcohol Facts”). Something has to stop and something has to change from preventing this more because 6 people dying each day from binge drinking alone is a lot, not to mention that 12-17 year olds are having alcohol problems at such a young age. Lowering the drinking age will enforce this act even more, promoting more drinking in fact.
Therefore, lowering the legal drinking age encourages teenagers to assist others from the dangers of drinking and
The drinking age should be lowered, because brains are not fully developed yet, colleges should be able to regulate drinking, and this can solve problems with kids underage drinking. Despite the controversy, the drinking age should decrease for many logical reasons. The drinking age has been a debate between the ages 18 to the age of 21 for a while now. Over the years, studies have showed favors toward the age of 21.
Over the years, the legal drinking age in the United States has been heavily debated. Some argue that the legal age to drink should be 18 or 19 because people at that age are recognized as adults; others argue that the drinking age should be 21 because people who are able to drink should be more mature and have their lives better planned out. Although people are legally adults at 18, they are not yet mature adults; in fact, according to NRP, “emerging science about brain development suggests that most people don’t reach full maturity until the age 25” (“Brain”). Before earning the right to legally drink, people should allow their bodies to fully develop and gain a better knowledge of how to organize their lives. The drinking age should remain