NATALIE FOXX 2026
PREVIEW
1.State your proposed act as a
maxim:
"Patrice Motsepe will
accumulate US$ 4.2 billion
(A) over the course of his
life (C) in order to get really,
really rich (E)."
2.Restate this maxim as a
universal law:
"All people (8.1 billion of
them) will accumulate
US$ 4.2 billion over the
course of their life in order
to get really, really rich."
3. Is the maxim above
conceivable in a world ruled by
the universal law?
SUS1501
No, the maxim is not really
conceivable in a world ruled by
that universal law.
If every person in the world tried
to accumulate US$4.2 billion in
their lifetime in order to become
Assignment 2 2026 extremely rich, the system would
not work….
Semester 1 NATALIE FOXX
, 1. State your proposed act as a maxim:
"Patrice Motsepe will accumulate US$ 4.2 billion (A) over the course of his life (C) in
order to get really, really rich (E)."
1. Restate this maxim as a universal law:
"All people (8.1 billion of them) will accumulate US$ 4.2 billion over the course of
their life in order to get really, really rich."
3. Is the maxim above conceivable in a world ruled by the universal law?
No, the maxim is not really conceivable in a world ruled by that universal law.
If every person in the world tried to accumulate US$4.2 billion in their lifetime in order to
become extremely rich, the system would not work. There are limited resources and not
everyone can become a billionaire. For someone to have that much wealth, many other
people must earn much less. This means that it would be impossible for all people to
achieve the same goal.
If everyone focused only on becoming extremely rich, society might also become very
competitive and selfish. People might ignore cooperation, fairness and sustainability
because their main goal would be personal wealth. This could lead to problems such as
exploitation of workers, corruption or environmental damage.
According to Kant’s idea of the categorical imperative, we should only follow a maxim if
it can logically become a universal law that everyone can follow. In this case, the maxim
cannot work as a universal rule because it is impossible for everyone to accumulate
billions of dollars.
Therefore, the maxim fails this step of Kant’s test and cannot be considered morally
acceptable in a world where everyone follows it.
4. Would you rationally act on the maxim above in such a world?
No, I would not rationally act on this maxim in such a world.
If everyone in society tried to become extremely rich at the same time, people would
compete very aggressively for money and resources. This could lead to unfair practices
and people might ignore ethical behaviour in order to reach their goal.
In such a world, important jobs that do not make billions of dollars, such as teachers,
nurses and social workers, might be ignored because they do not lead to extreme
wealth. Society would not function properly if everyone only chased money.
PREVIEW
1.State your proposed act as a
maxim:
"Patrice Motsepe will
accumulate US$ 4.2 billion
(A) over the course of his
life (C) in order to get really,
really rich (E)."
2.Restate this maxim as a
universal law:
"All people (8.1 billion of
them) will accumulate
US$ 4.2 billion over the
course of their life in order
to get really, really rich."
3. Is the maxim above
conceivable in a world ruled by
the universal law?
SUS1501
No, the maxim is not really
conceivable in a world ruled by
that universal law.
If every person in the world tried
to accumulate US$4.2 billion in
their lifetime in order to become
Assignment 2 2026 extremely rich, the system would
not work….
Semester 1 NATALIE FOXX
, 1. State your proposed act as a maxim:
"Patrice Motsepe will accumulate US$ 4.2 billion (A) over the course of his life (C) in
order to get really, really rich (E)."
1. Restate this maxim as a universal law:
"All people (8.1 billion of them) will accumulate US$ 4.2 billion over the course of
their life in order to get really, really rich."
3. Is the maxim above conceivable in a world ruled by the universal law?
No, the maxim is not really conceivable in a world ruled by that universal law.
If every person in the world tried to accumulate US$4.2 billion in their lifetime in order to
become extremely rich, the system would not work. There are limited resources and not
everyone can become a billionaire. For someone to have that much wealth, many other
people must earn much less. This means that it would be impossible for all people to
achieve the same goal.
If everyone focused only on becoming extremely rich, society might also become very
competitive and selfish. People might ignore cooperation, fairness and sustainability
because their main goal would be personal wealth. This could lead to problems such as
exploitation of workers, corruption or environmental damage.
According to Kant’s idea of the categorical imperative, we should only follow a maxim if
it can logically become a universal law that everyone can follow. In this case, the maxim
cannot work as a universal rule because it is impossible for everyone to accumulate
billions of dollars.
Therefore, the maxim fails this step of Kant’s test and cannot be considered morally
acceptable in a world where everyone follows it.
4. Would you rationally act on the maxim above in such a world?
No, I would not rationally act on this maxim in such a world.
If everyone in society tried to become extremely rich at the same time, people would
compete very aggressively for money and resources. This could lead to unfair practices
and people might ignore ethical behaviour in order to reach their goal.
In such a world, important jobs that do not make billions of dollars, such as teachers,
nurses and social workers, might be ignored because they do not lead to extreme
wealth. Society would not function properly if everyone only chased money.
