Immanuel Kant The Categorical Imperative • Thematically, Kant's ethical theory represents the classical formulation of deonotlogical ethics. For deontologists, right action consists solely in the conformity of an action to a justified rule or principle. • For Kant, this becomes equivalent to the rational and autonomous conformity of one's will to maxims that abide by the CATEGORICAL IMPERATIVE (aka Moral Law). • In the Foundations for the Metaphysics of Morals (1785), Kant tries to demonstrate how his position provides a philosophical foundation for what is already commonly understood by 'morality' and 'moral action.' Three concepts will be analyzed: The Good Will, The Notion of Duty and the Nature of Imperatives (both Hypothetical and Categorical). …show more content…
Moral actions are not 'spontaneous' actions. • Considering only those actions that are seemingly good (as opposed to actions that we ordinarily recognize as wrong), there is a distinction that can still be made within Duty itself: Actions in mere accordance (conformity) with duty and actions done from a sense of duty. The Nature of Imperatives • Imperatives are commands. Of commands, there are those that command hypothetically and those that command categorically. • Hypothetical Imperatives have the general form: IF YOU WANT 'A,' THEN YOU OUGHT TO DO 'B.' For example, If you want to be an Olympic swimmer, you ought to go swimming every day. The 'ought' in these hypothetical imperatives is conditioned by our desires & wants -- our 'goals.' Thus, if you don't want to be an Olympic swimmer, then you don't have to go swimming every day. Ultimately, our goals are grounded in self-interest. • A Categorical Imperative has the general form: DO 'A' (i.e., it is unconditioned). • For Kant, there is only one imperative that commands us unconditionally and that is the Moral Law: "Act only on that maxim whereby thou canst at the same time will that it should become a universal …show more content…
Nietzsche calls this sense of joy and vitality accompanying the imposition of values on a meaningless world tragic optimism. It is belies the "reality" that the world is not Will to Existence, but Will to Power. • "This world is the Will to Power—and nothing else! And you yourselves too are this Will to Power—and nothing else!" • The world is not illusion, so the Will to Power is not some underlying, transcendent metaphysical unity but the actual process of becoming in the world. Will to Power is the intelligible character of this process—however it is not the "truth" about the world. Will to Power must be understood not as new metaphysical doctrine about reality but a way of looking at the world, perhaps a "hypothesis." • In Beyond Good and Evil, Nietzsche notes that logical method compels the look for a principle of explanation: "A living thing desires above all to vent its strength—life as such is will to power—: self-preservation is only one of the indirect and most frequent consequences of it"
Kant made a distinction between two types of duties which are hypothetical imperatives and categorical imperatives. Hypothetical imperatives are rules or duties people ought to observe if certain ends are to be achieved. Hypothetical imperatives are sometimes called “if-then” imperatives, which are condit...
Philippa Foot starts her piece with a description of hypothetical imperatives, presumably in order to contrast them with categorical imperatives. She uses the classic Kantian description that a hypothetical imperative is a means to an end, not an end in itself. So the “ought” of a hypothetical imperative says that we ought to do something only because we want something else. Categorical imperatives, on the other hand, ought to be followed as an end in themselves and have a special rational authority — a “special dignity” (160). Foot wants to know why that could be. She wants to know what aspect of categorical imperatives gives them their special importance. In this pieces, she explores two common explanations,
In the essay titled “Foundations of the Metaphysics of Morals” published in the Morality and Moral Controversies course textbook, Immanuel Kant argues that the view of the world and its laws is structured by human concepts and categories, and the rationale of it is the source of morality which depends upon belief in the existence of God. In Kant’s work, categorical imperative was established in order to have a standard rationale from where all moral requirements derive. Therefore, categorical imperative is an obligation to act morally, out of duty and good will alone. In Immanuel Kant’s writing human reason and or rational are innate morals which are responsible for helping human. Needless to say, this also allows people to be able to distinct right from wrong. For the aforementioned reasons, there is no doubt that any action has to be executed solely out of a duty alone and it should not focus on the consequence but on the motive and intent of the action. Kant supports his argument by dividing the essay into three sections. In the first section he calls attention to common sense mor...
Johnson, R. (2013). Kant’s moral philosophy. The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Winter 2013 Edition). Zalta, E. (Ed.). Retrieved online from http://plato.stanford.edu/archives/win2013/entries/kant-moral/
The first-rate admirable people follow a master morality emphasizing power, strength, egoism, and freedom. While slave morality focuses on weakness, submission, love, and sympathy. For Nietzsche, the Will to Power is the distinguished as the dominant principle of biological function, without the Will to Power abusing the weaknesses of everyone being equal, with that society cannot and will not develop. The Will to Power is also defined as the Will to Life.
Kant describes them by stating, “When I conceive a hypothetical imperative in general, I do not know beforehand what it will contain- until its condition is give. But if I conceive a categorical imperative, I know at once what it contains,” (88). Like before, categorical imperatives are absolutely moral in themselves, meaning they do not rely on a person’s desires or feelings. This is compared with hypothetical imperatives, which are obligations that have an end result of your action, which in turn results in your personal desires or thoughts. An example of a hypothetical imperative is, “I need to ea... ...
Kant defined a hypothetical imperative as an action that addresses what "should" or "ought" to be done. He believed that the necessity of performing a certain action was based on other desires. This particular action would only be important if it was beneficial for another reason. It is prudent that a man feel the responsibility to achieve his own wants. However, Kant speaks of a second group of imperatives known as "categorical imperatives." These are actions which are important in themselves, without considerations of any other matter.
Kant argued that the Categorical Imperative (CI) was the test for morally permissible actions. The CI states: I must act in such a way that I can will that my maxim should become a universal law. Maxims which fail to pass the CI do so because they lead to a contradiction or impossibility. Kant believes this imperative stems from the rationality of the will itself, and thus it is necessary regardless of the particular ends of an individual; the CI is an innate constituent of being a rational individual. As a result, failure ...
The theory behind The Will to Power is incredibly well supported despite the fact that it is simply a collection of notes from Nietzsche's later years. It is a wonderful compilation of the premise behind all of his other works and the summary of their individual points. The most amazing aspect of the book and the philosophy is the incredible validity of it even now, over a hundred years after it was written. The social order of his new world needed to be addressed more, but the principles proposed stand sturdily on their own two feet confident in their own will to power.
He believes it is our instincts that governs our human behavior (Hamilton-Bleakley), and that, “any concession to the instincts, to the unconscious, leads downward” (Twilight of Idols). In other words, Nietzsche’s belief in our instincts governing the decisions we make in life opens up to his idea behind, “his central concept of will to power” (Hatab pg.236). Nietzsche’s will to power is rooted in the statement that, “Man is something that shall be overcome.” Therefore, in Nietzsche’s eyes, man is but a phase, and the overman is the true “meaning of the earth” (Thus Spoke Zarathustra pg.125). Within his notion of the overman, Nietzsche embodies the importance of the individual. In his work Thus Spoke Zarathustra, Nietzsche describes the idea of the overman as that which is a creator (Thus Spoke Zarathustra pg.135). The overman does not live by what the masses deem correct or hold the values to which the law is created, but rather he himself is the creator of what he holds to be true and by which he establishes his law. By this understanding, the overman does not seek out the knowledge or companionship of the herd, or those who abide by moral law as defined by Kant, but rather they seek fellow companions who are also
Immanuel Kant is a popular modern day philosopher. He was a modest and humble man of his time. He never left his hometown, never married and never strayed from his schedule. Kant may come off as boring, while he was an introvert but he had a great amount to offer. His thoughts and concepts from the 1700s are still observed today. His most recognized work is from the Groundwork of the Metaphysics of Morals. Here Kant expresses his idea of ‘The Good Will’ and the ‘Categorical Imperative’.
Through his discussion of morals in the Grounding for the Metaphysics of Morals, Immanuel Kant explores the question of whether a human being is capable of acting solely out of pure duty and if our actions hold true moral value. In passage 407, page 19, Kant proposes that if one were to look at past experiences, one cannot be certain that his or her rationalization for performing an action that conforms with duty could rest solely on moral grounds. In order to fully explain the core principle of moral theory, Kant distinguishes between key notions such as a priori and a posteriori, and hypothetical imperative vs. categorical imperative, in order to argue whether the actions of rational beings are actually moral or if they are only moral because of one’s hidden inclinations.
Friedrich Nietzsche was on the cutting edge of sociological and philosophical theory when he lived in the latter part of the Nineteenth century. His ideas and theories about the world around him inspired some of the most recognized schools of thought in the modern world(or post-modern as it is seen). His post-humous work The Will to Power is the culmination of his life's work and allows for all who read it to understand the genius behind one of the greatest thinkers of all time. In The Will to Power, Nietzsche explains how the will is the controlling device each of us, and that the true will should only be used on oneself and not to take advantage of or injure another. Nietzsche seeks all who read it to understand how this is the true exercise of will and how the world has been run down by people using their will in the wrong way.
Kant first mentions his categorical imperative when talking about it in relation to universal law. He writes, “I should never act except in such a way that I can also will that my maxim should become a universal law” (Kant 14). What he means by this is that he should never act in a way that is harmful to other. His actions must apply to everyone and always result in good.
The first formulation of the Categorical Imperative is defined by Kant to "act only according to that maxim by which you can at the same time will that it should become a universal law”. Good moral actions are those of which are motivated by maxims which can be consistently willed that it’s generalized form be a universal law of nature. These maxims are otherwise known as universal maxims. Maxims can then be put through the Categorical Imerative test to determine their universalisability and thus the premissability of the maxim. To test a maxim we must ask ourselves whether we can consistently will for a maxim to be obeyed by everyone all the time....