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Recommended: Kant ethical theory
To Be Brave What is a hero? Does a hero fly over a house, or is it a person walking down the street? In the book The Odyssey by Homer, Odysseus, the former king of Ithaca is on a journey back home where he faces many struggles. Odysseus shows that he is a hero during that trip with his bravery and quick thinking. Cole Farrand, like Odysseus, also shows traits of a hero when he saves a man from a burning building.
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.
Imagine being so obsessed with owning a business, but needing to borrow some of your family members money but they will not give in. This is how Walter Lee Younger, Lorraine Hansberry’s A Raisin in the Sun, feels because he wants to use a check that his mother is receiving from the insurance company after his father’s death. Walter, a selfish man with a wife and child, lets his shallow, naive, and ambitious nature interferes with his family.
A categorical imperative is a moral obligation that is binding in all circumstances, whereas a hypothetical imperative is when an action is based on desire instead of reason.
Kant also thought it was possible for pure reason to discover objective ethical truths. Kant believed that ethical truths must be categorical, universal, and be the product of reason. Kant’s categorical imperative states that a person should always act in such a way that they could will that act should be a universal law. This means that Kant thought that it was best to do the right thing, even if the person didn’t want to. This view of ethics focuses on what is right to do.
Also, in the study of ethics, consequentialism is the belief that the morality of an action lies in its consequences, while deontology is the belief that it lies in the act alone, and consequences don't matter. In response to this idea, Kant offered the Categorical Imperative in support of deontology, stating that all people are capable of reasoning on the same level and in the same manner as others. Furthermore, that the morality of an action and concept of culpability lie in the manner with which it
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."
The categorical imperative is a central concept of the Kantian ethic according to Kant, all the morality of the human being must be able to be reduced to a single fundamental commandment, born of reason, not of divine authority, from which all the others can be deduced Human obligations. He defined the concept of categorical imperative as any proposition that declares action (or inaction) as necessary. In his opinion, the previous moral maxims were based on hypothetical imperatives, so they were not obliged to comply in any situation and from any moral, religious or ideological approach. According to Kant, the only thing that is good, always and in every situation, is goodwill. And to say that a person acts by goodwill is tantamount to saying
Although the Categorical Imperative seems like an ideal way to define morals, it would be hard for it to work in the world of today. I don't think everyone has the luxury of thinking about universal laws and the ultimate purpose of humanity. Like I mentioned in an older module, lots of people are just trying to survive, and adopting an ethical viewpoint such as this is far down on the list of priorities. For example, lets take a look at lying, and assume that since everyone agrees that they wouldn't like being lied to, telling the truth becomes universal law. Now imagine that you find yourself stuck in a group of extremists, and in order to survive, you must cooperate.
A Categorical Imperative is the origin of Immanuel Kant’s moral theory. According to Kant the Categorical Imperatives are commands you must follow, regardless of your desires. They are moral obligations, and Kant believed that they are derived from pure reason. It tells us what we ought to do and gives us a clear understanding in Kant’s opinion of what our duties are and are not. There are certain things that are duties that we ought to be doing for the sake of duty because they are the right thing and certain thing we ought not be doing.
Hypothetical imperatives are duties that people ought to observe if certain ends are to be achieved. Categorical imperatives are the absolute and universal laws that guide moral actions. Kant believed that moral actions must be based on unconditional reasoning. Kant’s deontological principles of hypothetical imperatives and categorical imperatives have significantly influenced the medical field.
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.