The Pros And Cons Of Utilitarianism

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Arguments that justify illicit drug use falsely assume that the hedonistic intent of drug users are ‘good’. Misused prescription drugs are opioids, offering pain relief. Being recreational, illicit drug use is “an activity that is done for enjoyment” (Macmillan dictionary ref), so they are generally used with the intent of promoting illusory happiness. Utilitarianism approves of this by ascertaining a meaning of life aimed at fulfilling primitive desires such as the ‘quick fix’ of illicit drug use. These impulses are perceived as unjustified temptations in natural law because “true happiness is not found in … wellbeing … but in God alone, the source of every good and of all love” (CCC 1723). However, Aquinas recognises that fulfilling the transcendent will of God – true happiness and divine perfection - is unfeasible in the presence of earthly distractions, and thus, a human can merely approach pure goodness asymptotically by achieving…show more content…
That is, living a moral life by accessing God’s will through reason and employing it through the practice of virtues. Locke argues that such an imperative ability to use reason is only unlocked when exposed to pleasure and pain, hence, the hedonistic intent maintained by addicts is foundational in the development of a moral compass. Of course, that is not to say drug use is an ethical way of doing so. Yet, under this perverse argument, the self-condoning of drug use could be understood. Via the same logic, drug craving is an addiction that aims to heighten self-esteem and thereby uphold human sociality which fosters the common good and therefore goodness, justifying it as a “habitual and firm disposition to do good” (CCC 1803) – a virtue. As a virtue, it should theoretically achieve “true happiness … [which coincides with] … keep[ing] the laws which the Most High God has engraved”. Hence, a weak argument exists for the condoning of the intentions had by illicit drug
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