imperatives of skill

Kant talks about “imperatives of skill” in the second paragraph of 4:415, and says that “parents principally seek to have their children learn ever so many kinds of things, and take care to develop skill in the use of means to all sorts of discretionary ends.” In this paragraph, he says that skill is not related to a rational and good end. However, it is important to learn skill, because no one knows what will happen in one’s life. The more skills one has, the more likely one can come to an end that is rational and good.

This supports the idea of a liberal art college education (Ursinus College) and I agree with his idea. At Ursinus College, students have to take classes for core requirements, even though it may seems unrelated to future careers or what we are interested in. However, even though you may enter college with a career goal, it may change anytime, especially when one’s mind opens up by learning something new. This may lead to more happiness in one’s life by actually allowing an individual to do what he or she wants to do, not what one believed prior to learning. Moreover, learning things in classes are not only for career goals, but also to enrich one’s life. You never know what knowledge will be useful in your life, therefore the more knowledge you have, the better off you are. Since skills can lead to both good and bad end, one may be able to make better judgments about how to use one’s skill by having more knowledge.