WOULD IMMANUEL KANT SUPPORT THE LEGALIZATION OF MARIJUANA?

                                 

The global push for the legalization of marijuana has intensified in the recent years with some activist factions calling for the legalization of medical marijuana, and others pushing for the legalization for recreational use. Whichever the cause, people all over the world have been forced to take opposing stands in the ensuing debate.

Since the former president of Uruguay, Jose Mujica, legalized the use of marijuana in the country, many other nations are soon following his footsteps. In the US, for instance, the issue is set to be among the major determinants of the outcome of the 2016 presidential elections. 

                                        

With some American states preparing to take the fight to another level in 2016, the debate calls for a moral evaluation. For example, would Immanuel Kant vote for the legalization of marijuana? No way! Kant would object the push for the legalization of marijuana arguing that just like other drugs; Marijuana violates an individual’s duty to respect their rational nature. 

Most of the arguments against marijuana are centered on the use of the drug for escapism and pleasure. Is it morally right or wrong to be high? Providing a solution to this dilemma is not as easy as pointing out the wrongness of crimes such as murder or rape. Therefore, the marijuana debate cannot be held on similar platforms as these crimes and needs a philosophical analysis to identify the moral rightness, wrongness or neutrality of the practice. The arguments of Immanuel Kant, therefore, provide a framework for this analysis.

                                        

The notion of duties to oneself is grounded on Kant's categorical imperative. It posits that one should act so as to treat humanity, whether in their own being or in the being of another, as an absolute end, and not as a means to achieve that end. If regulated, proponents of the legalization may argue that marijuana use does not violate other people's freedom.

However, Kant is clear about the autonomy of the user. Regulating the drug can be hardly achieved. Marijuana is usually abused leading to addiction, cognitive damage or even short-term memory loss. In this case, marijuana infringes on the user's freedom. When a user becomes addicted, his deeds will be determined by whether or not he has taken the drug. The decisions that such a person makes are not devoid of the consequences of his or her state. Therefore, a marijuana addict cannot act or reason in autonomy.

The use of marijuana in dealing with emotional issues whether through medical prescription or for recreation contradicts Kant’s formula on morality as described in his philosophical books on morality. It states that one’s dignity ought not to be compromised even in the face of overall utility. Through the subtext of the categorical imperative, Kant argues in favor of two important duties to oneself. These are the perfect duties to refrain from suicide and the commitment to nurturing one's talents. By following the logic of Kant’s arguments, it is clear that for one to effectively carry out the duties, he or she should shun drug usage including smoking weed.

                                         

While contemplating about a person's absolute duty to refrain from suicide, Kant argues that "the man who contemplates suicide should ask himself whether the idea is consistent with the notion of humanity as an absolute end." Kant continues to state that if a person destroys his body in an effort to escape from a difficult life situation, the person is merely using his "person" as a means. The emotional escapism that is offered by marijuana and the severe side effects that a user is exposed to prove this. A person using marijuana utterly destroys his life in a desperate move to achieve (perceived) peace of mind instead of taking advantage of the challenge to acquire adaptive energy.

                                 

 Due to excessive use of marijuana, a person may suffer brain damage leading to a severe mental illness. In this case, a person can commit suicide or harm other people around him. Legalizing marijuana for recreational purposes will mean that the control limits for the drug usage will be low and, therefore, many users will use it in excess. The excessive use of drugs risks self-harm. While on drugs, a person might not make sound judgments in matters of life and death.

Kant's position can be applied even outside the confines of recreational application of marijuana. Using marijuana for medical purposes is also unethical in Kant's perspective. The use of drugs as a quick fix in alleviating pain means that one chooses to circumvent the entire process of emotional maturation and self-discovery. For instance, the choice of using marijuana as a way of alleviating anxieties resulting from a changed worldview in college denies the person a chance to use the opportunity for personal growth and increasing awareness on different issues. According to Kant, our rationality is the source of our intrinsic worth. It is also through our rationality that we gain the opportunity for personal development, self-insight as well as knowledge of ourselves. By using marijuana in the manner described above, a person sacrifices this integral part of his being.

                               

                             

The failure to work towards nurturing one’s talents is not in contradiction with the notion of humanity as an end in itself. However, a closer study into the arguments of Kant reveals the   importance of cultivating a personal capacity for self-insight. Failing to nurture one's talents does not contribute towards the objective of treating oneself as an intrinsically valuable being.  In his moral arguments, Kant posits that a person has a particular duty to cultivate his natural powers. Natural powers, in this case, allude to the intrinsic talents of a person that need to be discovered. Being dignified and rational beings demand that we nurture our unique talents so as to achieve the greater perfection of humanity. 

                   

Drug use does not in any way enhance the nurturing of talents, but rather it develops a culture of laziness that hinders talent cultivation.

             Kant’s moral arguments about duties to oneself and the categorical imperative make his stand in the recent debate for the legalization of Marijuana clear. Just like any other drug that is considered to provide pleasure through alleviation of pain and escapism, marijuana use contradicts human dignity, the perfect duty to refrain from suicide, and hinders self-discovery and talent cultivation. 

EFFECTS OF DOPING IN KENYAN SPORTS

There should not be any compromise about the use of performance-enhancing drugs in competitive sport. As such, all sporting organizations in the Kenya should be very strict when it comes to dealing with athletes who dare use these substances to gain an unfair advantage over others. Every year, some famed athletes fall victims of doping and suffer the consequences of either being stripped off their titles or facing severe bans. This measure has however not deterred others from engaging in the same malpractice. In addition to risking a ban, anabolic steroids are considered by medical practitioners as a serious threat to the health of sportsmen and women.

It is only under medical prescription that a person can use steroids. Despite this, the number of athletes who test positive after undergoing doping tests has tremendously increased in the past few decades. The only way to deter athletes from doping is by upgrading the anti-doping rules in the country so as to severely punish athletes who are found to use these substances.

                        

By banning the use of anabolic steroids by athletes, the Kenyan sports administrators will not only save the reputation of the country in competitive sports, but will also save the lives of many athletes. Since the use of the performance-enhancing drugs is not common among all sportsmen, the practice grants an unfair advantage to those who use them. Competitive sporting is therefore rendered useless as those who manage to gain access to the illicit substances are destined to win as a result of the cheating. This practice might demoralize the athletes who engage in fair-play as their efforts are not rewarded due to the presence of dopers.

Doping poses a risk to the well-being of the athletes. The side effects of anabolic steroids are catastrophic and can lead to health problems and even instant death to the users. Since some of the athletes who end up using performance enhancing drugs do so without the knowledge of the consequences, it is upon the government to ensure that they are protected and do not end up using them. Complete screening of the athletes’ managers should be conducted since the vice is common among some individual managers.

                                       

Many people who become victims of doping give the excuse that the use of performance-enhancing drugs should be legalized so as to ensure that everyone gets access to them. To them, this would eliminate the argument on the unfair advantage. However, considering that the use of the drugs has been confirmed by health practitioners to be a health disaster, it is not possible to compel everyone involved in sports to use them so as to set a level playing ground for the athletes. As a result, banning the substances is the only way that sports administrators can ensure that sportsmen compete on an even ground.

Legalizing the use of steroids by sportsmen can only reduce sporting activities into artificial events. An individual's ability would be recognized in sports any longer since athletes will be relying upon artificial powers to perform in sporting activities. While it may be easy to break existing records and set incredible ones, the ability of athletes would no longer be determined by such scenarios.

Despite the many efforts exerted by sports administrators to regulate the use performance enhancing drugs, more and more athletes are still engaging in the illegal practice. Doping does not only render sporting activities less competitive but it also poses unimaginable risks to the well-being of athletes. While some Kenyan sportsmen found guilty of doping did so in full knowledge of the implications, others did so naively. It is, therefore, the responsibility of the government to ensure that stricter rules are put in place to entirely eliminate the vice in competitive sports and restore the country’s reputation. 

"HACKTIVISTS": THE MISTAKEN HEROES

                                 

 “Hacktivism” is a term that emanates from the combination of the terms “hack” and “activism”. It refers to the use of computers or computer networks to promote a certain political or social agenda. The processes integrate critical thinking and programming skills to forge a unique and effective platform for activists. The practice is rooted in the hacking culture and aims at enhancing free speech, the freedom of expression as well as human rights. 

Hacktivism spans a wide spectrum of issues and political ideals. There exist numerous interpretations of hacktivism based on the ideals that inform the practice. These include the claims that it is merely an act of cyber terrorism. Others perceive it as a way of using technological hacking to achieve social change in the society. Hacktivism is essential in promoting democratic principles that aim at enhancing free speech and human rights especially in the modern society where these principles are highly threatened.

                          

In his article titled What is a “Hacktivist”, Peter Ludlow, a philosophy professor at Northwestern University, provides useful insight into the understanding of the term. According to him, it is the motivation of the person engaged in the activity that informs the lexical warfare that surrounds the term. As such, some people ostensibly fail to associate the practice with the democratic requirements of enhancing free speech and effecting social change. On the contrary, they accord the practice a negative connotation aimed at tainting the image of the practice and creating a certain phobic tendency around the practice. As a result, the public is incited to hate on hacktivists. Consequently, the practice is perceived with a certain level of mistrust and abhorrence. 

To Ludlow, hacktivism is similar to other activities aimed at effecting social change and hacktivists should not be perceived as criminals inspired by criminal ideologies. He goes ahead to create a distinction between acts that can be classified as hacktivism and those that do not deserve the description. He cites that a majority of hacking activities that a majority of people perceive as hacktivism may not necessarily be hacktivism but malicious acts of cyber crime. For one to completely discern and appreciate the positivity of hacktivism, he or she must be in a position to make a distinction between these acts.

                               

Kent Anderson, the Managing Director of Encurve LLC takes a significantly different stand from that of professor Ludlow in his article titled “Hacktivism and Politically Motivated Cyber Crime.” Anderson takes on hacktivism from a totally different angle in that it is clear from the start of his article that he considers the practice immoral irrespective of the ideals that it supports. 
                           http://www.peakanddale.com/portal/aff.php?aff=060

According to him, hacktivists embrace any opportunity of technological loopholes to disrupt the normal operations of societies, governments, and even institutions. As a result, Anderson considers the constantly increasing hacktivism in the world as a threat to social order. He, however, acknowledges the fact that the internet provides a unique platform for activists to make their pleas known to the world. 

The practice of illegally hacking into protected databases to gain access to information and share it without seeking consent is utterly immoral according to Anderson. While Ludlow considers hacktivism as a justifiable practice that should be protected in any democratic society, Anderson considers it a detrimental mistake made by some of the western nations that consider the practice as amounting to free expression.

Pierluigi Paganini’s article titled, They are Not What You Think They are … They are Hacktivists strives to substantiate the real activities conducted by hacktivists. Inspired by the activities of the Anonymous group that expresses its dissatisfaction of social and political policies through mounting cyber attacks, Paganini takes an affirmative stance similar to that of Ludlow in explicating the real agenda of most hacktivists. 

However, Paganini cites that it is the impact of the activities of many hacktivist groups that makes them a detested and feared lot. This is because the impact of the activities of hacktivists is not any different from that of common cyber criminals. As a result, cyber protests, as perpetrated through hacktivism, should be considered by organization and nations in devising an effective defense against cyber crime.

Kenya’s Contribution to 2050 World Population

The 21^st Century will go down the annals of history as the century in which the world experienced an explosion of its population. The increase in the world population from five to seven billion was achieved at a very short period of time prompting a cause for concern. It is claimed that it took about fifty-thousand years for the world population to get to its first billion. The explosive increase in population is set to continue in the course of this century. Fertility decline speed, especially in the third-world is the primary issue that is considered to influence the estimate of a 9.3 billion population by 2050.

Source: World Population data, 2015

The decline in the fertility rate in the developing countries, and especially those that are still experiencing a population explosion such as Kenya, is assumed to be the most profound shaper of world population in the 21^st Century. If the population will go beyond the 10 billion mark by 2050, it gives the implication that several other billions will be attained at the end of the century. This can only be avoided through the control of fertility, and especially in our country where the fertility rates are overwhelmingly high.

 The interventions aimed at ensuring that the world population does not exceed 9.3 billion should be initiated at the earliest time possible. As such, fertility interventions are urgently needed since the population explosion would mean a multiplication of nearly all social problems and policy challenges. These problems include climate change, intensified competition for the available resources and poverty rate increase.

To bring down the fertility rates in Kenya, the governments should come up with policies aimed at increasing the well-being of individuals so as to empower them to practice their reproductive rights. Through these initiatives, individuals will be able to expand their opportunities and choices. For instance, interventions aimed at increasing people’s access to contraception, reducing child mortality, and increasing the education levels of people often influence the decisions that parents make with regard to the number of children they plan to have. 

Poverty reduction strategies can also empower women and the poor so as to be able to exercise their reproductive rights and improve the chances that their children have in life. These interventions are meant to ensure that people in the developing world make the right decisions regarding their fertility.

Current concerns by the government and NGOs over fertility rates down is a clear indication that the reproductive health choices that people are making at this point will have direct implications on the world population by 2050. It is therefore clear that the estimation of the 9.3 billion people is on the low-end after the current interventions produce the anticipated results. The issue of fertility rate control prevails among all other issues that are deemed important in regulating the population of the world by 2050 and ensuring that the current social and economic problems are not carried into the future.

Why Family Cooked Meals are the Best

In the 21st Century, the popularity of home cooked meals has been declining, and with it, the benefits it has on family relationships. Research has identified several benefits associated with the union of family meals. Good parenting, human health, and family bonding can be improved through home cooked meals.

Children who regularly have meals with their parents perform relatively well in almost every field. On the other hand, the parents whose children rarely take part in family meals miss out on the opportunity to instill the right morals in their children. Consequently, these children lack the necessary parental guidance and may end up getting involved in destructive activities without the knowledge of their parents. Family meals offer the perfect time for parents to assess the progress of their children due to the busy schedules in the contemporary fast-paced world.

Home cooked meals present the opportunity for people to consider the benefits of the foods they consume. As opposed to taking foods in restaurants, home cooked meals are made from only the ingredients that the cook chooses. In addition, junk food and the fast foods that are sold in the fast-food restaurants expose people to health risks such as obesity and heart problems. Home cooked meals often feature organic dishes that are nutritious and also beneficial to the normal functioning of the body. Home cooked meals decrease the risks of getting diseases associated with unhealthy eating.

Family bonding is vital in ensuring harmony and coherence in the family and the society at large. During family meals, members of the family come together and exchange their views about several aspects of life. These discussions enhance a strong family bond and decrease the chances of family conflicts. People are in a position to understand each other and support each other. Chances of people suffering from depression are minimal in families that take part in family meals.

Strong family ties, morality, and good health are some of the profound benefits of home cooked meals. In the 21st Century, the popularity of family meals is diminishing making it impossible for people to watch what they eat, bond properly, and get the chance to learn useful things from each other. As a result, families are becoming less harmonious and a lot of conflicts characterize today’s families.

Assyria to Iberia

Assyria to Iberia Assyria to Iberia is a series of exhibitions that define the birth of the Western Civilization. The exhibitions are coordinated by the Metropolitan Museum and involve more than 260 artworks obtained from Museums around the world. It seeks to trace the different aspects of civilization such as the spread of writing, religion, war, commerce and art from the Middle East to Western Europe. Assyria to Iberia explicates the roles of two different realms. These are the merchant adventures of the Phoenician city- states such as Tyre and Sidon and the Assyrian Empire that later on conquered the entire region. 

The historical timeline showcased stretches from the decline of the Bronze Age civilization which was about 1100 B.C. towards the resurgence of Babylon during the times of Nebuchadnezzar II, which was around 604-562 B.C. 

 The stories of the seafaring Phoenician merchants and that of the warlike Assyrians are the key subjects of the Assyria to Iberia. The contrast of the two realms can be better understood in terms of "good vs. evil." For instance, the period that is covered in the exhibition coincides with the exact time that the Hebrew Bible was being compiled. The Bible scriptures give a true depiction of the two realms that are covered by Assyria to Iberia in that it depicts the bloodthirsty Assyrians in negative words. 

One of the major artworks from the exhibit that is from the British Museum is a statue that clearly depicts the Bible's fearful portrayal

of the Assyrians. This is the sculpture of Ashurnasirpal II (883-859 B.C.), an ambitious ruler who actively triggered the Assyrian conquest march. 

The sculpture is a full-bodied rather than the bas-relief that is common in other artworks in the exhibit. The image projects the inhuman nature of the Assyrians. The resolute stance, the malevolent and ruthless glance and the hands holding dangerous weapons marked the model of the Assyrian Monarch. The curators of the exhibition astutely manage to navigate an objective course between loathing of the Assyrians presented in the Bible and the Assyrian’s bravado. 

The events are accorded a number of perspectives. A good example of this objectivity in the exhibition is the display of historical events such as the military conquests of Sennacherib, the Assyrian King, against Judah in 694 B.C. The Biblical account of the event is that the army of King Sennacherib was obliterated by the Angel of death that prompted their retreat that saw Jerusalem spared. On the other hand, the exhibition presents another account to the story. This is shown through the Taylor Prism which is drawn from the British Museum. 

The baked clay cylinder gives accounts of the cities conquered by Sennacherib in cuneiform script. It documents Jerusalem as one of the cities that fell under the wrath of the Assyrian King and King Hezekiah of Judah trapped like a caged bird. The prism, however, does not give any details of the Assyrian casualties. Another carved war scene in the exhibit conveys in grisly detail the Assyrian legions slaughtering their enemies from Elam. Conclusion The Assyria to Iberia art exhibition provides a detailed historical profile of the period. The exhibition gives an objective account that the events for the audience to make up their interpretations of the truth. The exhibition elicits healthy discourse from art historians and scholars about the interpretations of the different artworks.

The Kenyan experience... what it really means


The Kenyan experience is an experience like no other. Many Kenyans, and myself included, believe that once you have tested the Kenyan experience you are set to live 'smoothly' anywhere in the world. The fact that Kenyans in diaspora are attracting attention- both positive and negative- to the nation which proves my argument. Being a Kenyan makes one stand out of the crowd even without doing a single thing!.. 


Back to my point... The experience that a normal Kenyan-and by this I mean the majority of poor Kenyans- undergoes hardens the person therefore preparing him or her for the tough journey of life ahead. The conditions never change, so the person only learns the art of living and adapts to the tough situations that life presents. I am not implying that this is a unique thing that only Kenyans endure. But, you can bear me witness that there is something unique about the whole Kenyan experience. 


The schooling system is inspired by the infamous "survival for the fittest" expression. And so are the other processes that the normal Kenyan goes through. Being 'fit' in Kenya amounts to a number of things which include but are not limited to the following; 

• Firstly, being financially stable- coming form a rich background
• Being well connected, and by this I mean being a "TRIBALIST"/ a NEPOTIST etc
• Knowing how to bribe/cheat your way out of shit- in other words, being CORRUPT
• At times being good at what you do - this at times does matter a lot!
• and finally being a certified sycophant- you know what I mean

personal experiences have led me to that criteria of defining a 'fit' Kenyan. Interestingly, for every of the pointers above, I have a unique life experience which  you will agree with me that being a  fit Kenyan can make you live everywhere in the world.As a matter of fact, many of the countries where end up are extensions of  Kenyan cultural fabric!! 


In my weekly blog posts, I will be tabling evidence as to why I believe that the Kenyan experience prepares a Kenyan into becoming what Plato would refer to as the "Kenyan philosopher King" very fit to rule the world. The nature of the leadership/ ruler-ship does not matter in this case!... Have a good day experienced Kenyans....