SUS1501 Assignment 2
(COMPLETE ANSWERS) Semester
1 2025 - DUE March 2025
, SUS1501 Assignment 2
(COMPLETE ANSWERS) Semester
1 2025 - DUE March 2025
BACKGROUND FACTS In assignment 1, one of the
questions was: “In the first 6 months of 2024, the six
wealthiest men in South Africa gained on average R77
million per day each.” My personal opinion on this
statement is most closely described by: a. Good for
them – they worked hard to earn this. b. The only
problem I have with this is that it wasn’t me earning
R77 million a day. c. No problem with this. I'm sure all of
these billionaires donate huge amounts to charities d. I
think that it is morally wrong for anyone to earn that
much money. e. I think that active steps should be
taken to correct such immoral earnings.” Do you
remember which option you chose? In this assignment
we are going to zoom in on option “a” specifically:
“Good for them – they worked hard to earn this”. What
this option is basically saying is, that the earnings of
these billionaires are completely reasonable and
justifiable? What we want you to do in this assignment
is to examine this option (i.e. someone, perhaps even
you, taking R 77 million a day for 6 months) from the
perspective of Kant’s formula of universal law version
of the categorical imperative.
Kant’s Formula of Universal Law and the Ethics of Extreme Wealth
Immanuel Kant’s Formula of Universal Law, a key part of his categorical imperative,
states that one should only act according to maxims (or principles) that could be
universalized—in other words, rules that could apply to everyone without contradiction. To
evaluate whether earning R77 million per day is ethical from a Kantian perspective, we must
ask:
1. Can the principle behind such extreme earnings be universalized?
2. Does it respect the inherent dignity of all individuals?
Step 1: Defining the Maxim
(COMPLETE ANSWERS) Semester
1 2025 - DUE March 2025
, SUS1501 Assignment 2
(COMPLETE ANSWERS) Semester
1 2025 - DUE March 2025
BACKGROUND FACTS In assignment 1, one of the
questions was: “In the first 6 months of 2024, the six
wealthiest men in South Africa gained on average R77
million per day each.” My personal opinion on this
statement is most closely described by: a. Good for
them – they worked hard to earn this. b. The only
problem I have with this is that it wasn’t me earning
R77 million a day. c. No problem with this. I'm sure all of
these billionaires donate huge amounts to charities d. I
think that it is morally wrong for anyone to earn that
much money. e. I think that active steps should be
taken to correct such immoral earnings.” Do you
remember which option you chose? In this assignment
we are going to zoom in on option “a” specifically:
“Good for them – they worked hard to earn this”. What
this option is basically saying is, that the earnings of
these billionaires are completely reasonable and
justifiable? What we want you to do in this assignment
is to examine this option (i.e. someone, perhaps even
you, taking R 77 million a day for 6 months) from the
perspective of Kant’s formula of universal law version
of the categorical imperative.
Kant’s Formula of Universal Law and the Ethics of Extreme Wealth
Immanuel Kant’s Formula of Universal Law, a key part of his categorical imperative,
states that one should only act according to maxims (or principles) that could be
universalized—in other words, rules that could apply to everyone without contradiction. To
evaluate whether earning R77 million per day is ethical from a Kantian perspective, we must
ask:
1. Can the principle behind such extreme earnings be universalized?
2. Does it respect the inherent dignity of all individuals?
Step 1: Defining the Maxim
