Q&A: Gluttonous Eating and a Moral Problem
Gluttonous Eating and a Moral Problem
Question
Is gluttonous eating a moral offense?
I mean someone who routinely eats excessive quantities beyond what is needed for normal functioning. Not someone who only occasionally goes wild, and not someone with a reasonably sized belly.
I see at least three problems here:
He fills his stomach while the money could be used for more worthwhile things for the benefit of humanity (his family, the poor)
He is a burden on the medical system, which in the end all of us pay for.
He significantly shortens his life.
Answer
We all do things from time to time for pleasure even if they are harmful. It is hard to see this as immoral, at least as long as it stays within reasonable bounds. By your approach, even someone who drives somewhere unnecessarily is acting immorally. That is very excessive.