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Kant’s categorical imperatives
Kant’s categorical imperatives
Immanuel kant categorical imperatives application in our society
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“Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” The quote repeated among the world and sadly taken for granted. This can relate to being a good person and not judging people right when we meet or see them. It is sadly common for humans to judge too quickly and that is extremely wrong. We should give everyone a fair chance because that is what we would want from them in return.
These seven commandments have a simple message to help people, treat people the way you want to be treated, show manners, love, and be a
1. Jesus told his apostles to love their enemies and treat others well even if they don’t do the same; he told them to do what they would want done to them. If they expect nothing in return, they will be rewarded and be seen good in the eyes of God. Jesus was teaching compassion and selflessness. This parable is the origin of the saying “Treat others how you want to be treated.”
“By assuming other people should be treated the way I want to be treated, it imposes my preferences and values on those around me”(Does The Golden). Essayist and writer for the New York Times Magazine, Chuck Klosterman, explains in his article Does The Golden Rule Hold Up in Modern Society why the “Golden Rule” may actually be not so golden after all. Klosterman explains why assuming that people want the same things and think that the same actions are moral is simply irrational. He states, “Well, I certainly want to be treated in a manner that accounts for the possibility that other people can’t predict what I want”(Does The Golden). I interpret this to mean that he wants to be treated as a unique person who has his own morals and values.
The Golden Rule says to treat others the same way one would want to be treated. The Golden Rule can be achieved when equality and Civil Rights are being used between a group of people. An example is when a person is treated unfairly. Instead of attacking the other person they would try and solve it peacefully knowing that physical actions are unnecessary choices that will only make problems worse. The ideas of equality are neutral choices or actions set on two groups or more.
In the story “Harrison Bergeron” they try to attempt to make a utopia by making each other look equal. Have you ever cut someone off in traffic, or didn’t call somebody back because you don’t like them? That’s just how our bodies and mind are, it would be impossible to make everybody in your utopia to not do bad things. The golden rule means to treat others the way you want to be treated, but there are some jerks in the world and selfish people. There is nothing we can do about it and it just teaches us how to be human beings.
Every community has their own ideas on what is right and wrong, what is just and unjust. One of the concepts that influences how people decide what is just is virtue. This is the idea that a community has their own set of moral standards for their behavior “cultivating the attitudes and dispositions” (Sandel 8) of individuals. To decide whether a situation is just or not, one would reflect upon their own morals and what their community believes to be morally right. They may consider the virtues of love and loyalty, along with their faith to determine what actions bring justice.
For an extreme example, a terrorist thinks he is doing the right thing by setting off a bomb. Many situations in life can put into action inherent good, and many people will channel this good. Inherent good can be difficult to explain, but many examples can explain it in great detail. Nobody is born with the intention of being a bad person. Sometimes people believe that the evil people in the world have always been bad, but that is incorrect.
There are different internal compasses that people utilize to point them towards the path of morality. The most common that probably still remains is The Golden Rule also referred to as the ethic of reciprocity. The Golden Rule stands for: “Treat others the way you want to be treated”. Some consider the Golden Rule to be the most universal of moral principles. Yet it does not always send a positive message.
We can not measure how good or bad someone 's actions are. This means that we can not judge if someone is good or evil. Is giving food to the homeless just as good as saying please and thank you? Since we are unable to measure how good an action is we are also unable to measure if the good actions someone has done outweighs the bad actions someone has done. An example of this is Robin Hood.
In Kant’s second example, he discusses one who borrows money while knowing that he will not be able to repay his debt. While knowing this, he also knows that he must promise to repay the debt in order to receive the money. He then questions if promising to repay the debt while knowing he will be unable to do so is the right thing to do. He realizes that doing so would benefit him now as well as in the future, but then he comes to question if doing so is morally correct. He wonders what would happen if everyone in need were to make the same decision as him such as promising to repay debt while knowing one will not be able to.
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."
Kant’s moral philosophy stands on the notion of good will, an intrinsic good which is perceived to be so without qualification, independent of any external factors. Thus, he dismisses other values that could be taken as good in themselves, such as happiness, honesty, courage, trust etc. as they have worth only under specific conditions, whereas in others they could be transposed into bad acts. For example, trust is necessary for one to be able to manipulate others, one must have courage to be able to
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.
