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Grounding For The Metaphysics Of Morals Summary

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In the world of moral philosophy, few other philosophers take such a prominent position as Immanuel Kant. He was a German professor in the 18th century who challenged many notions of ancient philosophy and put ethics over a new foundation, separate from nature. Kant rejects the belief that moral principles are derived from nature. In his book “Grounding for the Metaphysics of Morals,” he aims at discovering what is good and bad without thinking of nature. Kant believes that ethical principles must be grounded in rationality and universality, which go beyond simply individual preferences or circumstances. He focused greatly on the importance of being rational, and also on the difference between hypothetical imperatives and categorical imperatives. …show more content…

In the second section, he mentions that philosophers before him have spoken of the “frailty and impurity” of human nature. Kant goes on to say how reason should legislate for human nature, but at that time it was only used to look after the interest of inclinations. He expresses how he wishes that reason, instead of human nature, had a more vital role when discussing morality. Furthermore, he explains that “moral law is of such widespread significance that it must hold not merely for men but for all rational beings generally, and it must hold not merely under contingent conditions and with exceptions, but it should be absolutely necessary.” In this quote, Kant emphasizes the absolute and universal nature of moral law, and how moral principles are not limited to specific people or circumstances but apply to all rational beings equally. Kant believes that moral laws are not contingent on characteristics or inclinations, but must apply to anyone with rational thought. By saying that it should be “absolutely necessary” he implies that moral principles are strict and not flexible. This reinforces his belief in the obedience needed for moral principles, which are not compatible with the subjectiveness of human nature. Further on, Kant argues that experiences, which are subject to change, cannot be the basis of moral principles, which he calls “apodictic laws.” He thinks that if moral laws were based solely on empirical observations of humanity, they would not be universally applicable to all rational beings. Kant advocates for moral laws to be grounded in pure practical reason instead of empirical observations. According to him, moral laws should be based on a priori principles of reason instead of contingent facts about human nature. By grounding moral laws in pure practical reason, Kant wishes to

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In Groundwork for the Metaphysics of Morals, Kant does not presume to establish moral laws; he posits the basis for moral law itself. Through this process, Kant introduces the opposing concepts of heteronomy, laws provided externally for the individual, and autonomy, laws established via the application of reason. The implication arises that autonomy under Kant's definition is freedom, and that autonomy is a requisite for moral actions. To fully develop an understanding of this relationship it is crucial to deconstruct and integrate his notions of: will, duty, maxim, and imperative. Humans have the unique ability to perceive natural law, and imagine or will those forces to be different.

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(pp. 321-322) Grand Rapids, Michigan: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co. Kant, I. (1993). Grounding for the Metaphysics of Morals. In Schwehn, M. R. & Bass, D. C. (Ed.)

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Those who assume extremal empirical grounds as the principle of morality, base it on examples of custom and education, through community with one another, men engender that which seems similar to a moral law (Kant’s letters on ethics.29:622). Kant holds, then, that the subjective, empirical and internal serve as the foundations of moral feeling and also the basis for the principle of morality. However, after a short while, he realizes this psychological explanation of morality remains deficient. Consequently, he alters his views in order to essentially rule out obscurity and specifically the notion of the privacy of the indemonstrable concept of the good.

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Morality should be universal as reason is the same for all times and people. Kant calls it categorical imperative that we must act in such a way that the maxim can be an universal law. In contrast, He mentions hypothetical imperative, which suggests we act to achieve certain results. Hypothetical imperative has a maxim: “do such-and-such if you want to achieve such-and-such result.”

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Kant’s philosophical search arrives at his conception of moral law moving from the theoretical basis to the practical approach, not the practical approach to heretical

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Kant’s moral philosophy stands on the notion of good will, an intrinsic good which is perceived to be so without qualification, independent of any external factors. Thus, he dismisses other values that could be taken as good in themselves, such as happiness, honesty, courage, trust etc. as they have worth only under specific conditions, whereas in others they could be transposed into bad acts. For example, trust is necessary for one to be able to manipulate others, one must have courage to be able to

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