The Age Of Responsibility Alan Greenblatt Summary

Second draft of the book. The current recognised legal age for responsibility is 18, but should this be? Alan Greenblatt’s article “What is the Age of Responsibility”, presents neuroscience research that shows how a human’s brain doesn’t fully develop until much later than 18. The age suggested by scientists is 25, but Greenblatt explains how most people are able to handle making adult decisions at around 21.Now, this is when someone can legally drink alcohol, so the age is already familiar to society. Making 21 the perfect new age of responsibility, the age where someone is capable of being an adult both emotionally and physically, through brain development. 21 is the best age to be considered an adult. Many studies show that the older age
The article states, “After states set the age at 21, he says, teen highway deaths immediately dropped by 15 to 20 percent.” When talking about the change in drinking age from 18 to 21. It’s also in the context of returning to the 18 drinking age.Wagnar puts it best when he states,”The people who are advocating going down to 18,’.., ‘should acknowledge that they're willing to risk an extra thousand deaths per year and double that number of injuries. "(14) This is only one example that exhibits how 18 is a lackluster age when compared to the responsibility thrown on to it. Much more than what the brain can properly handle. Neuroscience covers science related to the nervous system, most importantly the brain. Research shows that an 18 year old’s critical thinking functions aren’t fully developed, so why should it be the age a person is considered “mature” when their own brain hasn’t even matured? Greenblatt discusses this information,”And what they've found is that in most people, the prefrontal cortex and its links to other regions of the brain are not fully formed until age 25--much later than anyone had
Since 21 is already a familiar age of responsibility, it is far more fair to assume that it is the legal age of adulthood. In 135 universities, school presidents are campaigning for lowering the drinking age to 18.They explain their reasoning in Greenblatt’s article, “They note that binge drinking on campus is rampant despite the stricture, and argue that if students were given the right to drink at an earlier age, they might handle it more responsibly.”(4) However, as stated earlier, statistics show the opposite. 18 year olds, when allowed to drink, cause many highway accidents. Likely from drunk driving, meaning that at least a significant amount of 18 year olds can not handle the responsibility of drinking.Also, could allowing 18 year olds to drink encourage even younger teens to drink as well? Would 18 year olds without the ability to think of the consequences, solicit alcohol from younger