by Jason Stotts
1. You May be More Transparent than you Think
One study from Duke University estimated that habits, rather than conscious decision-making, shape 45 percent of the choices we make every day, and recent discoveries have begun to change everything from the way we think about dieting to how doctors conceive treatments for anxiety, depression and addictions. (NYTimes)
Much of our behavior is formulated at a below-conscious level and we are not actively aware of it. However, new research is letting retailers understand us better than we understand ourselves. After reading this article, I am definitely going to look more closely into that psychological research and consider how it may factor into ethical analysis.
2. Legalization of Drugs is not only Moral, it’s Practical
Drug warriors often contend that drug use would skyrocket if we were to legalize or decriminalize drugs in the United States. Fortunately, we have a real-world example of the actual effects of ending the violent, expensive War on Drugs and replacing it with a system of treatment for problem users and addicts.
Ten years ago, Portugal decriminalized all drugs. One decade after this unprecedented experiment, drug abuse is down by half. (Forbes)
The proper function of the government is to protect individual rights. As long as people taking drugs aren’t harming others, then the government should leave them be to make their own choices in life. Not only that, making them illicit makes people more likely to do them, not less likely.