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Kant On The Cost Of Happiness

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"Our existence has a different and far nobler end, for which and not for happiness, reason is properly intended, and which must, therefore, be regarded as the supreme condition to which the private ends of man must, for the most part, be postponed." - Kant As I read this quote, I have a possible conclusion of its meaning. In our culture, many individuals believe that it is okay to make decisions based upon what makes one happy. Kant‘s notes suggest that this belief is not true. Kant believes that it is the responsibility of every human being to think rational. Rational human beings do deeds that are fair to everyone. If one’s decision could harm anyone regardless of the person view point, one should not commit that deed, which includes being fair to the prey as well as the predator. Although Russ is a hardworking sports editor it is not fair that he receives more hours than the rest of the employees. …show more content…

In this scenario, the publisher has given the editor a budget to stay within. It is only fair that the editor stays within the budget. Not only should the editor stay within the budget, everyone should only be allowed to work a certain amount of hours including Russ. Although Russ considers himself a good sports editor, it could be argued that the other employees are good at their jobs as well and they need to have more hours in order to make sure that they get all of their assignments done too. The rationale way of thinking would be to cut Russ

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And my happiness needs no higher aim to vindicate it. My happiness is not the means to any end. It is the end. It is its own goal. It is its own purpose.”

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Kant’s theories believed that human beings have moral values

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Kant starts his theory talking about the second formulation of Categorical Imperative. He says” One should treat humanit6y, weather in ones own person or in that of any other, in every case as an end to itself, never as a means only” (Kant). What he is trying to say is that to treat people as human beings, not as objects for the satisfactory of a task. Some acts are required to follow this principle, some are not, but overall this leads to the treatment of people from their employers. Other people

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Since all activities we engage in have an end then he says that happiness is the highest of all ends. So as human beings the goal of life is to achieve the highest of all ends. Happiness is the highest end because it is sought after for itself and is not used as a means to something else.

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Where our choices should include everyone, as universal to be considered moral or immoral. His choice would be based on the common sense rather than what one feels on the time on having to choose. Kant believes in continuacion of life, where maintaining life is a moral action. In Rescue I we have to see who really is in danger, where all 6 people are in danger, how can you morally save five and kill one. We will have to follow one of the two wills which are autonomous: morality of respect to us having free will and heteronomous: respecting others morality.

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Kant’s Categorical Imperative seems eerily similar to the old adage “Treat others the way you would want to be treated.” I say this because the general idea of Kant’s philosophy is to hold yourself to a standard that the world should also be held to. There are numerous examples where you can show that this philosophy works, ranging from smaller scale examples affecting only a few people, to larger scale example that could affect the whole world. One of these smaller scale examples could be; If a mother is pushing an infant in a stroller, and she has a toddler toddling behind her. She is also struggling to get the door open in order to usher the toddler through it, and get through the door herself.

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In American society today, there’s debates centered around how to be happy and to stay happy. There is generally lots of ways to stay happy and make you happy but sometimes those objects that make you happy are temporary happiness. As the prominent philosopher John Mill is that people shouldn’t be so focused on being happy, that shouldn't be your main purpose in life. Mill’s argument about happiness is correct in that we shouldn’t be focused on making others happy or the world a better place, try to be more focused on our own happiness.

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So even though we cannot have a definite answer to what our conscious tells us to do, we know it is telling us something. There is one problem though: Although humans know the difference between right and wrong, they may choose to disobey the moral code even if they know better. Another important statement Kant makes about the moral code is, “Act in such a way that you always treat humanity, whether in your own person or in the person of any other, never simply as means, but always at the same time as an end,” (Gaarder pg 331). Kant’s words of advice in this quotation sound similar to the golden rule: “treat others the way you would like to be treated”. This is an important value to hold onto in life because if you are kind

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I hope to convince the reader that Kant’s Categorical Imperative is the better way to live a morally conscious life and more practical to follow as well. First I will briefly describe both Kant’s and Mill’s principles. Then I will go on to explain the advantages and disadvantages of both. Finally, I hope to provide a counterargument for some of Kant’s Categorical Imperatives downfalls. Kant states the Categorical Imperative as: "Act as if the maxim of your action were to become through your will and general natural law."

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As humans, we frequently desire for every moment of our lives to be filled with pure joy and happiness. Without reasoning, we seek happiness in order to rid ourselves of any negative interactions and stimuli. We constantly cling to the fruits of elation while actively trying to evade our nihilistic experiences. Arthur Schopenhauer, a German philosopher, would perhaps agree that the existence of human nature generates an active pursuit of positive and fulfilling interactions rather than negative ones. More importantly, he would argue that this pursuit of happiness becomes tiresome by nature and ultimately impossible to obtain.

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Firstly, the human nature argument that suggests the idea that an individual will try and reach for more, in order to become more. Secondly, the idea that it was God’s plan from the beginning to have Adam & Eve eat from the fruit, either to test their faith in Him or because He knew they would eat the fruit, due to the free will given, but He had a bigger plan for humanity. Kant considers that “if whether the good or evil spirit wins us over to his party depends merely on which bids the most and pays us promptly, then certainly it holds true of men universally” - “They are all under sin, there is none righteous (in the spirit of the law), no, not one.” Kant suggests the idea that depending for whether which of the good and evil sounds better, the human will choose in accordance.

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Can Money Buy Happiness? In today’s materialistic world that we live in, the phrase that ‘can money buy happiness?’ is an often asked question. There is no right or wrong answer but only peoples opinions and people always think their opinions are right. Money is an easy way to gain happiness since in our daily lives we need money for food, shelter, and keeping ourselves healthy, which are necessities for having a happy life.

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Happiness is a Choice There is no greater feeling in the world than being happy. Believe it or not, happiness is a choice that comes from within. According to a theory in Psychology, all humans have a happiness “set- point” that determines their overall well-being. When something positive happens to a person, he becomes happy. On the other hand, when something negative happens to him, he becomes miserable.

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