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Analysis of Kant's categorical imperative
Analysis of Kant's categorical imperative
Analysis of Kant's categorical imperative
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Kantians believe that the rightness or wrongness of an action does not depend on the consequences, but on whether they fulfill a duty. They must act in a way that will produce the greatest overall amount of good in the world. In this view there is no obligation to give money to a homeless person, but it is the right thing to do. Kant’s supreme moral principle is the categorical imperative. The categorical imperative is a moral law that is unconditional for all agents because of intrinsic value.
The hypothetical imperative relies on a desired outcome: "If you want ____, you must do ____". Duty is removed from the hypothetical imperative. Categorical imperative carries far more nuance in Groundwork for the Metaphysics of Morals, it takes on three different formulations in the text as moral law. Although these formulations are perhaps simply restating, individually, they provide unique insights into Kant's thinking. In the first formulation, Kant says "Act only in accordance with that maxim through which you can at the same time will that it become a universal law" (Kant 421).
Categorical Imperative and Duties Kant divides duties into two groups- duties towards others and duties towards self. They are further subdivided into strict and meritorious duties. Lets consider these duties one by one in light of Categorical Imperative. Strict Duties to others : Consider a person is in need of money.
I believe Beth’s decision to end her life is morally justified, despite the reservations her family might have. In this case, we will look at two aspects which would support Beth’s decision: a maxim turned Categorical Imperative in Kantian ethics, and the principle of autonomy. In Kantian ethics, the consequences of an action are irrelevant, only the intentions behind one’s actions can be judged to be morally right or wrong. The reason behind one’s actions can be based on one’s maxim, furthermore, “if they pass the test imposed by the categorical Imperative, then we can say that such actions are right” (479).
Kant argued that morality presented itself to human agents in the form of the categorical imperative and the argument for deontology. The categorical imperative states that a person must “Act only according to that maxim by which you can at the same time will that it should become a universal law”. This is based on the age old, “do unto others as you would have them unto you”. Kant argued a person must embrace that what they do is only alright if it is
“Categorical imperative may be defined as a way of evaluating motivations for action. ”[1].According to Kant, “human beings occupy a special place in creation, and morality can be summed up in an imperative, or ultimate commandment of reason, from which all duties and obligations derive.” [1] He defined an imperative “as any proposition declaring a certain action (or inaction) to be necessary. ”[1]It shows the relationship between rational objective rules and will which, as far as its subjective nature is concerned, is not necessarily decided by the rules. It involves meaning of compulsoriness, obligation.
Ruining someone else’s life because it would simplify mine is not something I can both do, and still expect to sleep at night. For this reason, I support Kant’s Categorical Imperative. Kant claims that it is not the consequences of an action that determines its moral worth, but the maxim behind the action (Kant 105). If my decision to leave an innocent man alone leads to unrest in the city, that has no bearing on the moral worth of my action. If I were to convict this man, even if it were to lead to the favorable result of a peaceful city, I would still have to battle with my corrupted maxim and overwhelming guilt.
The end does not justify the means. This was the principal ethical theory of Immanuel Kant and made up his ‘Categorical Imperative’, a deontological argument which showcased how certain actions are fundamentally wrong, such as murder, lying or torture and can therefore, never be justified. Contrastingly a utilitarian would claim that the ends do in fact justify the means and would enact a focus on outcomes in deciding whether or not an action is morally permissible. In 2002 Jakob Von Metzler, a boy of just twelve years, was kidnapped and a police officer threatened the kidnapper, Magnus Gafgen, with torture in an attempt to find and save the child. Gafgen told the officer that he had killed the boy and then disclosed the location of the body.
Immanuel Kant is the philosopher that develops the idea of the Categorical Imperative. Kant said that only forms of action and principles, why those actions were performed, are very important but not actions by themselves and their results. The Categorical Imperative theory applies to everyone and there are two formulation of this theory. The first one states that there are the rules that everyone needs to follow and there are no exceptions to it. The other formulation states that we should treat all people equally and respect their rights.
The situation in above case is not the new one for us as per study of Universal Ethics and Utilitarianism philosophies as Immanuel Kant's categorical imperative that clearly states that moral law applies to every rational being and it will be totally independent of any personal desire, objective or motive. However, Utilitarianism Philosophy describes that moral actions of beings will be those which directly maximize the utility. On the other side, Universal Ethical Law states that moral law will be applicable to every human being in the world regardless their region, religious or community and this law will be independent to any particular quality or specification. If we go through and test Luke's case when he wants taking suggestion and advice
Ethics and the search for a good moral foundation first drew me into the world of philosophy. It is agreed that the two most important Ethical views are from the world’s two most renowned ethical philosophers Immanuel Kant and John Stuart Mill. In this paper, I will explore be analyzing Mill’s Greatest Happiness Principle and Kant’s Categorical Imperative. In particular, I want to discuss which principle provides a better guideline for making moral decisions. And which for practical purposes ought to be taught to individuals.
To answer this question, Kant goes into the explanation of his work on categorical imperative. According to Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy categorical imperative is the “general principle that demands that one respect the humanity in oneself and in others” (Immanuel Kant, 2018). Regarding the topic of Ethics, Immanuel Kant expresses his believes that we should all respect each other and oneself. As a society we need to follow the moral law. Our duty as society is act rationally, with keeping in mind the universal moral law.
Bribery is defined on the dictionary as offering, giving, or receiving of a bribe, which means giving or receiving of something of value in exchange of specific favorable outcome that it may not occur if it weren’t for the bribe. “Bribery law consists of the criminal rules for dealing with people who attempt to buy influence with public officials and other decision-makers.” (Bribery and Corruption Law). The crime of bribery covers a broad scope of wrongful conduct, for instances, bribes of cash, favors, assets, services, or anything else of value, whether delivered presently or in the future. Bribes can occur directly, or indirectly through third parties in order to disguise the transaction.
The categorical imperative is formal, while the substance is decided by the person. The idea is that by a process of reasoning, one can check his intuitions and desires and see if they can become a general rule for moral behavior. Kant bases his theory on three main concepts: the good will, the duty and the law. The moral worth of an action is measured in its intention.
Kant believes that most people know right from wrong; the problem most people have is not in knowing what is morally, but in doing it. Kant also argued that rightness or wrongness of particular acts is determined by rules; these rules could be determined by his principle of universalizability. He also argued reason require not only that moral duties be universal but also absolutely binding. For instance, when lying is the only option to save someone’s life, still we shall not lie for it is morally wrong to lie. Kant introduced categorical imperative which states that people ought to do something regardless of the consequences.
