The Declaration of Independence states that “all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.–That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.” Hence, the text is implying that every man has the inherent right to a good and fulfilling life. It is widely believed and proven that education increases the quality of life. Therefore, education is a basic human right and every citizen in the country should be able to access it. Then the above statement could also imply that every person has the right to a free college education. However, the college reality in America is far from the supposed truth stated in the Declaration of Independence. College tuition is affordable or free in almost all developed countries except in the United States. Why is college almost unaffordable for the majority of Americans? Why is American college tuition so uniquely expensive compared to college tuitions around the world?
Hey Reem,
I disagree with the reasoning you used to argue that college tuition should be free. The main reason is that you are making an implication based off of another implication. It’s fine to imply something from a piece of text yet, to imply something based on another implication leads to extremely loose and weak argument. Your argument that education is a means to reach the end that is happiness, although solid and I believe true as well does not imply college specifically should be free. To be put it another way, based on the quote used in your argument man also has a right to life therefore food as a means to the end that is living should also be free. Sounds reasonable right? Yet your argument would be the equivalent of stating that since food as a means should be free therefore I have the right to eat at a fancy restaurant for free as well as it is an establishment meant to prepare meals. Yet this should, personally, not be the case, just as a restaurant is an establishment that has a right to charge for their items on the menu, a college and its staff have the right to charge students for providing a more digestible method of learning the material you want to learn. I can get an free education by looking online on the free public domain yet many who pursue academic careers don’t as it is much more difficult to learn from the public domain that a well organized lecture plan set out by a professor in a university. In other words, we as students aren’t paying tuition to gain access to an education, rather we are paying to have a more structured and easily digestible path to said education, to put simply education from the college establishment is a privilege not a necessity.