Kant 's Categorical Imperative Essay

When Kant speaks of duty he doesn’t mean we do what’s right and wrong based on the good or bad consequences, for Kant the decisions we make as a result to consequences is highly irrelevant. That’s not why we should follow a duty. He wants us to do our duty not out of self-interest, or to satisfy our own pleasure. We should do our duty whether we like it or not, not out of fear or pleasure but because they are morally right. For example, if we lie to a close friend that we respect, we want to be honest because we care for that person and they deserve the truth, keeping in mind that if it was a random stranger we wouldn’t treat that person the same way because they don’t mean anything to us and we have no relationship with them. In this instance, I think Kant would say, first, to tell the truth and not deceive because it’s your duty and its coming from your own good will no matter who it is, we are expected to follow our obligations not because its right or wrong but because we genuinely want to. In another issue, if it applies,

Immanuel Kant, a German philosopher, specifically a deontologist, has two imperatives: the hypothetical imperative and the categorical imperative. These imperatives describe what we ought to do and are only applicable to rational beings because they are the only beings that recognize what they ought or ought not to do. The hypothetical imperative is when an individual’s actions are reasoned by their desire, so they only act with the intention of fulfilling their desires. The categorical imperative is what human beings ought to do for their own sake regardless of whatever else they might desire. The categorical imperative has two formulations. Kant’s first formulation of the categorical imperative states that one ought to only act on maxims that can be used as universal law. This formulation is based on its urgency and unity in the society. When a maxim cannot be determined a universal law, then it is morally impermissible to act upon it. Apply this formulation to the example of the lying promise: this cannot be willed as a universal law because trust will no longer be a part of society. If everyone were to make a lying promise to get money without retribution, then people will eventually recognize they are being deceived, which will result in a more selfish community. When one wills something as a universal law, then it is for the intention to better the state and community. This proves that the lying promise is not a maxim to live by.

Immanuel Kant's categorical imperative is a theory that basically relays the same message that most mothers teach their kids, and that is to do the right thing. The categorical imperative could be easily explained by the Golden Rule about treating others as you would like to be treated. Kant dives a little deep with his theory, however, and breaks the categorical imperative into three formulations. The first formulation is about essentially removing yourself from a situation and doing what is best for everyone. Kant is basically saying that it is unethical to make decisions that affect everyone, but only benefits you. The second formulation is about making sure that

Kant’s categorical imperative is a natural conclusion of reason when searching for a moral guideline that does not depend on previous expense but reason alone. The categorical imperative can be explained in many different ways. Kant offers five formulations in his work groundwork of the metaphysics of morals. The formulations of Kant’s categorical imperative can be considered a test. If your maxim passes the test then your actions under that maxim will be good. The formulations that Kant offers, they are not different rules in themselves, but different ways of stating the same thing. It is important to note that these formulations apply only to your maxim, or what you intend to do. The categorical imperative is based off of the assumption

is the good will. A good will is good in itself, not just for what it

Before Kant wrote this book, he observed fallacies in society such as thinking about the consequences of an action, rather than if the action itself is good. Other fallacies include that humans do not typically think about how a decision will impact their fellow humans. Kant noted these deficiencies in society and as a result hypothesized the universal categorical imperative stating one “ought never to act in such a way that [one] couldn’t also will that maxim on which [one] should be a universal law” (Kant 11). Kant offered this categorical imperative to answer most questions of morality simply by asking oneself, “Would I be content for my maxim…to hold as a universal law, for myself as well as for others” (Kant 12). The reason Kant’s universal imperative is foremost to other ethical theories is because if we were to conceptualize our decision on a grand scale using Kant’s universal imperative, we would un-biasedly conclude that either our decision would deteriorate society or that our decision would be of benefit to society. For example, in reference to the act of lying, Kant explains that a person “could will the lie but not a universal law to life; for such a law would result in there being no promises at all” (Kant 12). Similarly, if I promised a person to vouch for them and tell the truth at a court hearing and instead I recall the situation inaccurately for my own gain or for certain benefits, I am contributing to the injustice of the World. In contrast, if I were to get on the stand and ask myself “what would happen if no one got on the witness stand and told the accurate story,” I would have substantiated that a World with no truth is a World filled with criminals who do not receive justice. Kant’s universal categorical imperative is applicable to the vast majority of moral questions, making it the

     Kant describes the categorical imperative as “expressed by an ought and thereby indicate the relation of an objective law of reason to a will that is not necessarily determined by this law because of its subjective constitution.” In other words, a categorical impetrative is a command of morality that applies everywhere at all times no matter what, without exception. Kant describes two forms of imperatives, hypothetical and categorical.

Kant’s categorical imperative comes from Kant’s Deontology, the work of Immanuel Kant. Categorical imperative is defined as “act only according to that maxim whereby you can at the same time will that it should become a universal law.”. This ideaology believes that an act should be judge based upon its ability to be willed as a universal law an apply to everyone. Under Kant’s categorical imperative something is right or wrong if it can be applied to

Immanuel Kant (1724-1804) was arguably one of the greatest philosophers of all time. Kant thought that it was possible to develop a consistent moral system by using reason. Kant theories were focused on a person act and moral duties. Kant believed that he was putting forward something that would help people deal with the moral dilemmas of everyday life, and provide all of us with a useful guide to acting rightly. Kant indentifies a foundation to morally correct action in a form of psychological motivation. Different principles such as fidelity, justice and gratitude play major roles in this field (Close & Meier, 1995; Johnson, 2004; Jones & Carlson, 2001 Solomon, 1996). Kant wanted to base morality in reason. The result would be that two moral acts could never contradict each other.

Deontology is the ethical view that some actions are morally forbidden or permitted regardless of consequences. One of the most influential deontological philosophers in history is Immanuel Kant who developed the idea of the Categorical Imperative. Kant believed that the only thing of intrinsic moral worth is a good will. Kant says in his work Morality and Rationality “The good will is not good because of what it affects or accomplishes or because of it’s adequacy to achieve some proposed end; it is good only because of it’s willing, i.e., it is good of itself”. A maxim is the generalized rule that characterizes the motives for a person’s actions. For Kant, a will that is good is one that is acting by

Kant’s first version of the Categorical Imperative: “Act only according to that maxim whereby you can, at the same time, will that it should become a universal law” (Immanuel) This is Kant’s absolute moral law. It is often cited as the golden rule as well. Per Kant, one has an obligation to act on this axiom, and if one does they are morally correct. However, Kant also defined another form of the Categorical Imperative referred to as the Humanity Formula: “Act in such a way that you treat humanity, whether in your own person or in the person of another, always at the same time as an end and never simply as a means.” (Immanuel) This second formulation does more to specifically define what Kant saw as universal law. A human is never to be used only as tools (means), and in fact, should be respected equally for their own motives. (Kerstein) A human as defined by Kant comes to “humanity”. That is to say, the traits that make us intrinsically human, such as a free will. (Johnson and Cureton)

Immanuel Kant, a renowned German philosopher, once said that we should always " act only according to that maxim whereby you can at the same time will that it become a universal law.” This statement represents the first categorical imperative, and it is one of the pillars of Kantian ethics; It states that one should always act based upon moral values that would make sense if everyone in the world acted based on those values. Imagine John wants to steal a car ; According to Kant's first categorical imperative, John's action is immoral. John is acting under the maxim of stealing, but life would be nonsensical if everyone acted under this same maxim under all circumstances. The second categorical imperative that Kant proposed states that “Act

Categorical imperative is a nonconsequentialist theory formulated by the deontological German philosopher Immanuel Kant. Kantian ethics were a clearly opposition to the theory of the utilitarianism proposed by Mill; to Kant, the consequences were irrelevant to moral evaluations. Unlike Mill, Kant believed that Morality should not be influence by feelings or desires (inclinations). Nor should be by societies or circumstances. Morality must be based on reason and because average adults are able of rational thinking and self-governing, It also must be autonomous. Human begins have an irrevocable responsibility to act from a good will that at the same time is subject to rational principle. "Morality is a matter of duty" (Kant, pg 489)

Everyone has a sense of what they feel is morally right and wrong. Though it can be difficult at times, we generally have an idea of what is good or bad. It is important to ask how we are able to determine morality in order to reach a conclusion as to what we believe in. There is, in fact, compelling reason to believe that man alone cannot determine what is moral. Instead, we are given the ability to decipher good and evil by God who has set unchanging moral standards for us based on His nature.

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