IS TAX-SUPPORTED HIGHER EDUCATION JUSTIFIED - Term Paper Example

This paper seeks to establish arguments and reasons why tax-supported higher education is justified based on Immanuel Kant’s principle. Immanuel Kant: On Good Will, Moral Worth and Duty According to this philosopher, the term “good will” is characterized by the ideas of “person with good will.” To understand this, it is better to take a deeper analysis on what makes a person good (Johnson, 2008). Kant states that a person is good because of his possession of a good will, in a way, that his decisions are determined by on the basis of the moral law.

In addition, he believes that anyone would say that his actions are morally clean and and considered it as reasons for guiding his behaviors. Further, he points out that a good will is a will whose decisions are determined entirely by what he called as the Moral Law. There must be no circumstance in which moral goodness would be regarded as worth forfeiting just to exchange it for something desirable. Say for example, desirable qualities like courage or cleverness would be demeaned and sacrificed as to lay it aside if injustice requires, or, will be discarded if cruelty demands, thus, making good will not be good at all.

Further, he explains that duty, has moral worth if the actions are not derived with motivations, in particular, self-interest, self-preservation, sympathy and happiness. However, it may be dutiful but does not express a good will. For instance, the government has the main duty, according the law of the land--the Constitution to serve and protect its constituents, and abide to the norms and standards, for the welfare of all. Also, duty performed out of motivations like love and friendship is a duty of good will.

Furthermore, if a duty is done in the respect for moral law, then it is a motivation of respect. For instance, Maria in her being a member of an organization, by which rules and regulations are strictly implemented, would follow the said policies because it is her duty. To that effect, Maria thinks that she is respecting laws pertaining to her. The Categorical and Hypothetical Imperatives Kant formulated the Categorical Imperative in which he explains, “ought never to act except in such a way that I could also will that my maxim should become a universal law.

” According to him, this motivates a good will. It is imperative because it is a command. For example, “Take me away from him.” This shows that Categorical Imperative, exactly, commands us to act on our wills. It is not conditional and does not have willed ends. Unlike Hypothetical Imperative, it requires a certain degree of condition. Hence, it is imperative but to the extent that in doing a particular action or duty, there is an underlying motivation such as condition. Hypothetical imperative is one that requires an exercise of wills, only, to certain degree of condition--a command of unconditional form.

For example, “If you want to pass from this subject, then buy me a pair of shoes.” This shows a conditional imperative. The Formula of the Universal Law of Nature As stated above, categorical imperative denotes that an act done in accordance to this maxim can and will become a universal law. Suppose, in a democratic country, the legislator made a law prohibiting all constituents from getting an education. Such law is invalid because it simply violates the principle of freedom