, SUS1501 Assignment 2 Semester 1 2026 - DUE 16 March 2026
STEP 2: EVALUATE THE ACT USING KANT’S CATEGORICAL IMPERATIVE
3. Ask whether your maxim is conceivable in a world ruled by the
universal law
The maxim formulated in this case is that a person may accumulate
and retain great wealth through lawful and productive business
activity, even if that wealth far exceeds what others possess.
According to Immanuel Kant, moral actions must be tested by asking
whether the maxim guiding them can be universalised without
contradiction. This means imagining a world in which everyone is
permitted to act according to the same rule and assessing whether such
a world remains logically and practically coherent.
When this maxim is universalised, it appears at first to be conceivable.
If every rational agent were free to pursue wealth through lawful,
productive, and voluntary economic activity, society would not collapse
into contradiction. Markets, trade, innovation, and enterprise depend
precisely on individuals being allowed to create value, invest resources,
and benefit from their talents and labour. Economic systems
presuppose freedom of exchange and the ability to retain profits
generated through legitimate means. Therefore, a universal law
allowing wealth accumulation through lawful business does not destroy
the very institution that makes such accumulation possible.
However, Kant’s test requires more than surface-level consistency. One
must also consider whether the universal practice of extreme wealth
accumulation could undermine the moral conditions necessary for a
stable society. If universal accumulation results in severe inequality that
erodes social trust, cooperation, and respect for persons, a
contradiction may arise at a deeper level. A world in which wealth is
STEP 2: EVALUATE THE ACT USING KANT’S CATEGORICAL IMPERATIVE
3. Ask whether your maxim is conceivable in a world ruled by the
universal law
The maxim formulated in this case is that a person may accumulate
and retain great wealth through lawful and productive business
activity, even if that wealth far exceeds what others possess.
According to Immanuel Kant, moral actions must be tested by asking
whether the maxim guiding them can be universalised without
contradiction. This means imagining a world in which everyone is
permitted to act according to the same rule and assessing whether such
a world remains logically and practically coherent.
When this maxim is universalised, it appears at first to be conceivable.
If every rational agent were free to pursue wealth through lawful,
productive, and voluntary economic activity, society would not collapse
into contradiction. Markets, trade, innovation, and enterprise depend
precisely on individuals being allowed to create value, invest resources,
and benefit from their talents and labour. Economic systems
presuppose freedom of exchange and the ability to retain profits
generated through legitimate means. Therefore, a universal law
allowing wealth accumulation through lawful business does not destroy
the very institution that makes such accumulation possible.
However, Kant’s test requires more than surface-level consistency. One
must also consider whether the universal practice of extreme wealth
accumulation could undermine the moral conditions necessary for a
stable society. If universal accumulation results in severe inequality that
erodes social trust, cooperation, and respect for persons, a
contradiction may arise at a deeper level. A world in which wealth is
