Question one
A maxim that, in order to maximize my pleasure, I will take recreational drugs whenever I feel like is self-defeating. It cannot be applied as a universal law to all humans as rational beings. It will be a failure to cultivate talents in exchange for a life full of pleasure and leisure. This is also a compromise of human capacity for self insight, self development and personal growth. This is because it is just a quick fix to challenge individuals are facing in their lives.
Additionally, Kant provided arguments against taking of recreational drugs because he termed them as exclusive substitutes for self knowledge and interpersonal help to those taking them. For instance, individuals taking recreational drugs to maximize pleasure compromise an integral part of humanity as a way to gain pleasure. This is a failure to follow Kant’s duty of self-development through evading of the cultivation of their capacity for personal growth and self knowledge.
A world applying such a maxim as a universal law would have individuals who aim at achieving natural pleasure, which comes from, not feeling anxious, irritable or depressed. This is opposed to attaining of hedonistic pleasure in life. People would also opt to take drugs and abandon interpersonal therapy in resolving emotional distress. They would only focus on relieving themselves as quickly as possible of any psychological or emotional burdens they may be experiencing. This would inhibit their opportunity to cultivate self-insight and self knowledge.
The end or the purpose of the maxim cannot be achieved because the pleasure that comes with taking recreational drugs is not hedonistic pleasure. It is just pleasure of not being irritable, anxious or depressed. This implies that pleasure obtained in the end is quick and short term. Therefore, taking recreational drugs cannot serve the purpose of long term maximizing of pleasure.
Question two
Notably, taking recreational drugs to maximize pleasure would interfere with fulfilling of imperfect duties to self and other people. This is because all human beings possess the capacity of the talents they want to cultivate. This is because of individuality where people have different talents to cultivate and also different goals and ends for the lives they set for themselves. This implies that a maxim of taking recreational drugs to maximize pleasure is a contradiction for other people because each is a free being and moral agents. Therefore, this will inhibit their introspective in the achievement of self knowledge and self insight.
Additionally, while individuals taking these drugs achieve functionality with them, they also fail to fulfill duties to themselves. For instance, in this maxim makes them achieve pleasure but can also result to addiction which implies that such individuals are not able to perform their personal duties appropriately. Therefore, Kant argued that taking these drugs is a violation of his formula of humanity in various ways.
Notably, taking recreational drugs may result in deterioration of health conditions as people tend to abuse these drugs. This is associated to reduce personal effort and reduce performance in their work or daily duties allocated to them by others. For instance, students may fail to handle assignments due to addiction of taking drugs and effects linked to these drugs.
Therefore, Kant emphasizes on individuals cultivating their capacity for self insight rather than rapid achievement of life as free from emotional burdens. Hence, taking recreational drugs will hinder cultivation of individual talents and capacity.
Question three
Following this maxim is a failure to treat oneself with respect. This is because proper respect for human beings as rational creatures demands the cultivation of their talents. A person is supposed to know himself well through interpersonal therapy. Therefore, taking recreational drugs in order to maximize pleasure is a way of bypassing interpersonal mechanism of handling emotional issues. This is because taking drugs is a way of relieving oneself of painful and distressing symptoms. It is also a way of achieving a leisure and pleasurable state of affairs in life.
Additionally, it is a fail to treat oneself with respect because an individual denies himself a chance to develop their capacities in self development, self insight and personal development. This also prevents an individual from setting ends for themselves and pursuing those ends. For instance, they often give up setting their goals. This is because drug taking sacrifices the cultivation of an individual’s talent in order to attain a certain end in this case enjoyment or pleasure. This hinders a person from setting and pursuing the goal of achieving a functional, healthy and pleasurable life. Therefore, following this maxim will result to frequent and exclusive taking of drugs which results to difficulty in fulfilling the duty of self development, which is part, of self respect.
Noteworthy, Kant utilized the categorical imperative version to argue against taking of these drugs. He argued that individuals take these drugs to escape difficult life situations by medicating their minds. Such individuals relinquish and destroy their lives in order to achieve the perceived end of peace. He concluded that such individuals violate the formula of humanity through failure to accord proper respect to their lives as rational agents. Kant perceived such individuals as taking their lives as dispensable rather than intrinsically valuable. This implies that individuals following this maxim will concentrate more on attaining pleasure than developing themselves through life challenges. Hence, this will lead to a low self value which is a disrespect of their humanity.
According to Kant, the dignity of an individual should never be compromised even in situations of overall utility. He further argues that individuals should not sacrifice or disrespect their rational agency to attain a tolerable condition in life or escape from a challenging situation. He argues that individuals who circumvent the processes of self knowledge and self discovery through taking drugs disrespect their rational agency. This is because such individuals avoid interpersonal methods of coping and instead focus on pleasure and alleviating their pain. Notably, Kant compared such individuals to a suicidal man who disrespect his intrinsic worth and rational agency by taking his life to ease pains in life.
Therefore, following this maxim makes individuals use their person merely as a means in order to maintain tolerable conditions in life such as pleasure. This is disrespect to their humanity and rational agency, as well.
Question four
Noteworthy also, following this maxim is likely to lead an individual failure to treat other people with respect. This is because all individuals have a responsibility to help others advance their capacity for self knowledge. Additionally, Kant argues that individuals should not use themselves or others as a means to an end. He maintains that every person has a duty of beneficence which is to promote the happiness of other people according to their means. This maxim denies other people an opportunity to handle their challenges in a way that will facilitate self knowledge.
Additionally, some individuals may advocate such a maxim to others as a means of achieving a personal or selfish gain. Such a maxim is also a way of making people treat themselves as a means to an end. This is against the principles of humanity as it circumvents self discovery for a quick fix. This implies that such an individual following this maxim would disrespect other people by failing to respect their humanity.
Notably, Kant argues that human beings are rational beings deserving respect and dignity. Human minds should not be medicated when faced with challenges. Taking these drugs prevents the human mind from being strengthened and hinders development through difficult situations in life. He stresses that these drugs are taken as a cheaper way to attain a solution to challenges. However, Kant goes against taking these drugs as he stresses that the human mind should be developed through self insight, self knowledge, and self development. Additionally, he argues that self development may cost more and take longer than drugs or medication. However, he values self development as a way of having proper respect and value for humanity.
Therefore, taking drugs as a quick fix is a way to circumvent emotional development and self discovery in order to ease the pain of facing inevitable challenges in life. For instance, many students take these drugs to alleviate anxieties as a result of getting their worldview challenged. However, they should take the exposure as a chance to facilitate their personal growth and expand their minds. Taking these drugs inhibits human rationality and morality which is also disrespecting humanity.
