Kantian Ethics: Kant And Free Will

Kantian ethics, according to the Groundwork for the Metaphysic of Morals, revolve around a universal moral law called the categorical imperative. This principle relies not on our senses, but on reason alone. In Kant’s efforts to explore the ethics of human beings, he starts by describing ‘will’ as the only thing that can be unconditionally good. Will has to do with our intentions, and our intentions must be in line with our duties. To be good, one’s actions must accord with a good will. It is not as simple as doing a good deed, but the reason behind doing the good deed, that determines the will. A maxim deals with subjective reasoning. Kant says you should take your personal maxim and raise it to a universal law (categorical imperative), to

From will to duty to maxims to universal law, Kant moves onto insisting that we must treat others as ends in themselves, and not as means. In other words, it’s wrong to use people, as people are not things. A rational being, has dignity and the ability to naturally act in accordance to universal laws which do not pertain to our senses or heteronomous forces, we are thus born with free will. Furthermore, being autonomous beings, we must will in a way which is good for the sake of moral law. In Kant’s groundwork, we can deduce that because we are rational beings with a duty to act in accordance with this idea of a categorical imperative, we don’t need foreign incentive to do the right thing. The right thing, has authority over us because we discover it within ourselves, given that we are the moral

Once we know within ourselves, right from wrong, we must then apply these moral principles to all other rational beings. For Kant’s intents and purposes, an example of a rational being is a human being. We are the only known rational beings on this planet, because animals do not have dignity. Animals cannot protest, they rely on their senses and do not have the free will which we humans possess. We are part of a kingdom, but we each are our own kingdom. This differentiates humans from animals. For example, we are not really a part of the food chain, we are above it. Our autonomous nature being a born given, gives us an imperative to have respect for all other rational beings. It is our duty to treat others with respect, because all people are ends within themselves. We all hold ourselves to a supreme moral principle which again is, the categorical imperative. Even if you don’t like someone you shall respect them as a rational being who has autonomous capabilities and an absolute worth