Analysis of the Clinton Scandal using Kant's Catergorical Imperative

     In 1999 President Clinton was impeached in his position as President of the United
States of American because of conduct which stemmed from an event that our society
deemed to be immoral. This event, an extramarital affair in the Oval Office of the White
House, may not actually violate any of our legal codes, but it is against the Christian
religion which Clinton belongs. But, to gain a better understanding of whether this action
could be considered immoral, I have looked at it in the context of Immanuel Kant's
Catergorical Imperative.
     The Catergorical Imperative states that action which a person makes a personal axim
of by going through with that action, should be able to stated by that person as Universal
Law. In this case, Universal Law refers to a statement that all people in the same situation
should act in the same way that this person has acted. For example, a person who is filing
their taxes and realizes that they have an opportunity to cheat and save money has a clear
decision between what Kant says is right and what he says is wrong. It is true that that
individual could benefit monetarily on an individual basis by cheating the tax system. But,
in doing so he is stating that all people in the same situation should cheat their taxes. If this
were to happen, the government would receive no tax money, therefore having no revenue
to be spent on domestic services or foreign protection - all benefits that the original
individual enjoys the effects of. Therefore, he cannot in good conscience cheat his taxes
because, not only could it possibly have a negative effect for himself in the end, but it
would have a clearly negative effect on the greater good.
     When President Clinton was faced the opportunity to have an extramarital affair in the
Oval Office, he should have clearly realized that he could not do so in good conscience
because he could not state that his actions of cheating on his wife, or having sexual
relations in public buildings, be repeated by all people in similar situations. This would lead
to social turmoil and chaos as well as a degredation of our public buildings.
      Therefore, in the context of Kant's Catergorical Imperative, the President's actions
were immoral because he could not state that they should become Universal Law.

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