I’m working on a philosophy question and need an explanation to help me study.

M 8 Quiz Questions — Social and Political Philosophy

From Chapter 8 Historical Showcase, please answer the following questions:

1. To what extent does Marx’s concept of alienation apply to modern workers? To what extent does it apply to modern college students? How would Marx analyze the contemporary trend toward careerism among today’s college students instead of an a means to create more knowledgeable citizens?

2. Countries in the European Union are free market, capitalist countries, yet they do not have the enormous gap between the rich and the poor that we see in the US. One of the reasons for this is that their moral perspective is Kantian and ours is Utilitarian. Kant’s respect for persons principle requires that we do not use other people as a means to an end– not socially, not politically, and not economically. Opposed to this Americans tend to be Utilitarians and accept that the we should seek happiness for the greater number. Unfortunately, that could mean a ratio of 51 to 49 in which the 51 benefit and the 49 do not. So in this way, the history of the US has come to be this ratio of haves and have nots, and the haves often feel justified in having more in this way.

Think about this a bit. Are the haves justified? What would Kant say about that?

This is really all about fairness and what is just. Do we have a moral obligation to share when we have more than we need?