“What does it feel like to be moral?” Kant and the Subjective Vitality of the Moral Law Obeying the categorical imperative, by definition, requires a person to abstract from their conscious inclinations, acting from a higher kind of motivation that is not oriented toward personal gain. What kind of conscious mental state, precisely, is denoted by Kant’s references to this kind of motivation, however, is not immediately obvious. It certainly cannot be a mere desire for the end toward which an action prescribed by the moral law is geared – this would place the action right back into the sphere of inclinations. Nor, I will argue, can it be a desire to obey the categorical imperative as such – at least, not in the conventional sense of “desire” …show more content…
The swimmer, motivated by her knowledge that she will regret it if she doesn’t (admittedly an inclination, but sufficiently remote from her immediate state to act here as a metaphor for the moral law), decides with dread to quit her cosy sleeping bag and make her way, shivering, to the intimidatingly high ledge hanging over the edge of the water. Paralysed by unwillingness, she tries in vain to convince herself to jump by reasoning that the experience will be worthwhile, until she realizes that the only way to carry out her plan will be to forget about her disinclination and choose to act on that bare knowledge about her future feelings, carrying out the simple action of a small jump that is actually physically very easy to do. She simply tells her legs to launch her forward, disinclinations and all. I would characterize this moment of action without inclination, motivated purely by an end one knows one ought to have, as a moment resembling an act of faith. Such a moment may be usefully compared to similar moments of faith as performed by religious figures. The writer of the eleventh chapter of the letter to the Hebrews characterizes faith as “assurance about what we do not see” (Hebrews 11:1), and …show more content…
This knowledge represents the features of the moral law (freedom from inclination, human dignity, the kingdom of ends, etc.) to us as morally valuable, which value inspires our assent to adopting morality per se as our end as though we were that way inclined, but does not emotively pull us toward the particular actions it recommends. In “Anthropology from a Pragmatic Point of View”, Kant describes a kind of self-deception by which we undertake to behave as though we were morally inclined (151). He says that this self-deception, although counterfeit, is necessary and is meant to “lead man to virtue” (152). “Force accomplishes nothing in the struggle against sensuality in the inclination; instead we must outwit these inclinations” (152) – in the absence of true moral character, we can still achieve morality’s demands by pretending that we are moral. This recalls the picture of the swimmer, who, in the moment of leaping into the frigid water, behaves as though her inclinations were different in that moment from what they in fact are. I would then agree with Hinman’s claim that such an account of moral behaviour as a kind of self-denying theatrical performance “can provide a more satisfactory account of the relation between reason and emotion” (261). It
However, that is not often the case. Perhaps action alone can convince an audience of a person’s immorality, but the presentation also has a major influence on the audience 's’ opinion. In books, presentation of a character is a strategy for the author to uphold a character’s image. Such examples can be found in William Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar and John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men, where the authors’ presentation of Brutus and
Hebrews 11 defines and explains what faith is---the realization of what is hoped for and evidence of things not seen. This faith is not by any chance a “blind faith”, it is as if seeing the one who is invisible, it is questioning, taking risks, delaying action and/or making changes (Fields 52). Our lives are a continuous search. We should pane beat and fine tune our faith by asking ourselves deep questions about our own faith in God. Like Abraham, we should not be fearful of asking questions and pursuing answers for God’s grace will guide us.
How do I Make Moral choices, in a World of Moral Ambiguity? A desire for meaning would also include obtaining some kind of “identity,” or individualism. Yet, society or someone will try to force their “ideal” moral system onto everyone else. “Thinking may be “good for nothing” in the world, but in the mind it is good for guidance—not legislation, but guidance” (Bruehl 193).
A person knows most of all what pleases and distresses them. Of course, they also experience these things on the personal level; only an individual directly feels what happens to them. However, it cannot be said that all humans are in concord with themselves in this respect. Non-virtuous or “base” people may “appear to have these features,” but they “are at odds with themselves, and have an appetite for one thing and a wish for another” (1166b). They may give into their harmful desires and choose to do actions that cause them harm.
Immanuel Kant had a very interesting approach to ethics. Actions are not always carried out as if they were a universal law, the way Kant wanted, because he was a moral absolutist. Kant’s idea of categorical imperatives is not attainable in any society. Everyone has different morals and beliefs, meaning that everyone has a different standard to which they hold themselves; their actions are reflections of their beliefs. The example of lying to a stranger at the door is an extreme example of Kant’s categorical imperative.
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).
Dystopian literature often approaches similar ideas, conveying an author’s rendition of an alternate and undesirable reality. However, embedded within these representations are concepts pertaining to Kant’s Categorical Imperative and Bentham’s consequentialist theory of Utilitarianism, each which present in themselves contrasting ideals. The discussion pertaining to these two conflicting philosophies within the dystopian genre are highly relevant, wherein they are tied in to exceed a set point. These ideologies effectively bring to the audience distinct perspectives towards the worth of an individual, the worth of the system, and the overall morality of said dystopian governments within the dystopian genre.
1. • ethical, social, and political issues are nearly related. • ethical issues stand up to people who must pick an approach, regularly in a circumstance in which two or more moral standards are in clash (a predicament). • social issues spring from moral issues as social orders create desires in people about the right blueprint. • political issues spring from social clash and are mostly concerned with utilizing laws that endorse conduct to make circumstances in which people act effectively.
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.
Kant even states, “the ability to distinguish between right and wrong is inherent in human reason,” (Gaarder pg 330). Kant is saying that knowing what is right and wrong is innate to humans. For example when an opportunity to do something against the moral code is offered you typically immediately know this is wrong; some people even go as far to say that it is a “gut feeling” that they can actually feel when they know something is not moral. This ability to differentiate between right and wrong can also be referred to as our conscious. Kant explains the law of morals as, “We cannot prove what our conscience tells us, but we know nevertheless,” (Gaarder pg 331).
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."
First off, allow me to talk about moral skepticism. (scepticism as the author put it) A moral sceptic might be the sort of person who says "All this talk of morality is tripe," who rejects morality and will take no notice of it. (Rachels, 2010, p. 50) There are some people in this world who will take morality and toss it out the window, because to them morality is binding and judgemental to the point to where they think that it will control you. Hypothetical and Categorical imperatives are very interesting in their own unique way.
Although very few would argue that the terminological jungle set forth by other philosophers like Bentham and Kant can be characterized as simple, the two set forth theories of morality that seem to ignore the complexity of most multi-faceted decisions. Bentham’s utilitarianism distills moral decisions into a seemingly mathematical net measurement of pain and pleasure, advocating for decisions that maximize pleasure and minimize pain. The Kantian conception of a “categorical imperative” creates a universal binding set of right and wrong decisions that is not subject to changes in an individual’s whims or differing situations. For instance, if lying is considered morally wrong, telling a lie that may benefit another person is still morally inexcusable. However, whereas these approaches seem rational and practical, they are not applicable to real-world decisions.
Immanuel Kant insisted that the rightness of an action cannot be based on consequences that are actual or intended. This view is based on the concept of deontology, in which is the rightness or wrongness is not dependent on the consequences but rather it fulfills a duty morally. It gives the criteria of rightness and moral requirement actions are understood to be right or wrong in themselves. As Kant being a deontologist he believes that there is a supreme morality of principle, thus this principle is known as the Categorical Imperative. The Categorical Imperative are moral requirements that are rationally independent of any condition and an unconditional moral obligation that is binding in all circumstances and is not dependent on a person's
It is presented as something that can grow (2 Cor.10:15) Faith is mentioned among gifts that edify believers in the church. Faith in the Old Testament rests on a foundation that the person or object of trust, belief, or confidence is reliable. Faith is a central theological