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Immanuel Kant's Groundwork Of The Metaphysics Of Morality

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Immanuel Kant’s Groundwork of the Metaphysics of Morals focuses on how rational beings argue common sense morality through the definition and execution of various moral philosophically facets such as: good will, reason, duty, and moral law. Good will aids in regulating the actions of all rational beings trying to act upon something. All good will is intrinsically good without limitations, yet not every action is acted with this in mind therefore not everything is good. With the exception of good will Kant explained things that these gifts such as wealth, power, and honor (goods of fortune) wit, understanding, and judgement (goods of nature), to name a few, are good with qualifications. Because, not all gifts are entirely good and desirable as they can be become evil and harmful when they lack good will and intentions. They are good in moderation within a certain medium. Without good will it is difficult to obtain the ultimate good of rational beings, happiness (4:394). However, Kant argues that good will itself is not good based off what it produces in the end but how it’s intended to be use by the …show more content…

Reason controls and influences the will and produces a will that is good itself and not good as an end (4:396). Kant argues that reason rationalizes our inclinations because our inclinations are not always good and are at times opposing. Inclination leads with desire and personal preferences of the subject therefore make ourselves happy. He argues the purpose in giving us reason was to help us fulfill our inclinations or desires or preferences or to make us happy, because it would have made a big error. Reason leads the rational being to happiness and contentment because it allows the being to act with good will, which produces good because reason recognizes the establishment of a good will as its highest practical

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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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Now as we begin to think on our morals, take this quote from Immanuel Kant’s book, Groundwork for the Metaphysics of Morals and think about it, “Live your life as though your every act were to become a universal law” (Kant). In Immanuel Kant’s work, Groundwork for the Metaphysics of Morals, the first thing he concentrates on is, ‘good will’. Kant states, “There is nothing it is possible to think of anywhere in the world, or

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“Taxation is Theft,” a popular slogan and sentiment voiced by many political philosophers andchampioned by libertarians. It is based on the ideology that the federal government infringes upon the property rights of individuals for the sake of tax collection. This belief is held on to so fervently, that even when the funds will be given to those that need it the most, the impoverished, these sects, respectfully decline. The problem with this mode of thinking is that is rest on the assumption that the individual is being robbed of something owned by them, and this is false. The collective community has entered a social contract with the government and with each other, and therefore, each member has a responsibility to help those in need, including, taxing the rich to

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What governs humanities moral obligations has been a question many philosophers have attempted to answer. One such philosopher, Immanuel Kant, explains his theory in “Groundwork of the Metaphysic of Morals.” Kant explains that there are imperatives and “all imperatives are expressed by an ‘ought’” (Kant 507). Ought, in modern terms, can be expressed as should.

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In the Groundwork of the Metaphysics of Morals, Immanuel Kant endeavors to identify and corroborate the “supreme principle of morality” (SP) (392), deeming it necessary as “morals themselves remain subject to all sorts of corruption as long as we lack the guideline and supreme norm by which to judge them correctly” (390). According to Kant, the SP, as a moral law and the ground of an obligation, “must carry with it absolute necessity” (389). In other words, it must bind all rational beings, certainly not only a subset of human beings, and be entirely universal in the scope of its application. This constraint implies that the SP cannot be in any part based on empirical grounds, as such grounds are built from the observation of rational natures

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He explains what is and is not morally relevant to rational beings that live under moral obligation. The only thing that should be morally relevant is motivations (duty) alone, and neither the consequences of actions nor the emotions one has with their actions. The consequences and emotions of actions are considered not to be morally relevant because they are motivations of our own inclinations, since they pertain to our own sensory experiences, which Kant believes is immoral. Kant furthers his arguments with discussing motivations. He defines them as our maxim, a guide/rule to living, which can only be moral if they come from duty, or the moral law.

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Iqra Polani PHIL 130 Professor Park 31 March 2017 Paper 2: Discussing Kant’s Moral Law In Immanuel Kant’s The Foundations of the Metaphysics of Morals, he works to establish a moral philosophy that he considers to be pure due to its separation from all things empirical. Kant creates a distinction between behavior and reasons or motivations for actions in his work.

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Kant states that one is a good or bad person depending on the intentions or motivations behind their actions rather then the outcome of those actions. I agree with this statement because many times ones actions do not play out like we planned and that is ok as longest we tried. The consequences of someone’s actions are not isolated

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Immanuel Kant’s The Groundwork of the Metaphysics of Morals is his first crucial attempt to provide moral philosophy, and his work has endures a standout among the most powerful philosophers. Kant’s analysis can be perceived as a foundation for imminent studies by clarifying the major ideas and rules of moral rationale and demonstrating that they are subordinated to rational factors. He seeks to prove that the discovery of the principle of morality is achievable. What is more, he grants a revolutionary assertion the rightness of a choice is controlled by the nature of the principle an individual decides to follow. Therefore, Kant’s moral sense theories often are depicted as strikingly unconventional.

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There is nothing impossible to think of in the world or outside it that can be considered good without its limitations except a good will. The power of judgment, understanding, persistent in an intention and courage are good and desirable. However, they can prove to be quite harmful and evil if the intention (will) is to use these gifts of nature is not good (evil). The same applies to the gifts of fortune such as wealth, power, and health. Moderation in passions and passions, sober reflections, and self-control are not only beneficial for many aims but seem to make up a part of a person’s inner worth.

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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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Immanuel Kant’s moral theory differs greatly from the other theories we have learned about, especially Mill’s view of utilitarianism. Utilitarianism is based on the consequences of actions, while Kantian Ethics focuses on the intentions a person has before they act, and if they are fulfilling their duty as a person when acting. Kant explains his theory by providing examples of different people who are all doing the same action, but for different reasons. He discusses a store owner who charges everyone equal prices and explains that this only has moral worth if he is acting from duty, meaning he does this because it is what is right. The act is not moral if he acts in accordance with duty, or because he is worried about his reputation or business.

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Kant defined this as private reason and considered it a necessity. Kant used an illustration of how catastrophic it would be in an office to question the appropriateness of an order rather than obeying it. The private use of reason was counterbalanced by an individual’s public use of reason. In this system of reason the individual takes upon the responsibility of an intellectual who “has complete freedom, indeed even the calling, to impart to the public all of his carefully considered and well-intentioned thoughts”. (Kant 3).

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