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The 3 formulations of the categorical imperative
Conclusion of categorical imperative of Kant
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Immanuel Kant was a man of great PHLOPHICAL KNOWLEDGE IN his day that still helps us today in age. Immanuel Kant was a famous philosopher who lived in the eighteenth century. One of Kant’s most lasting contributions to philosophy was in the field of ethics. He believed that moral laws could be derived from reason, and that all immoral behavior was, therefore, unreasonable or irrational.one of the beliefs I will be discussing from Immanuel Kant will be his famous categorical imperative, and how it works in contrast and what his ideas were, using this in light of abortion, and using this (categorical imperative) why he believed what he did about abortion.
Kant argued for the idea of the categorical imperative, a law of morality that all humans have a duty to obey. His first formulation of this categorical imperative is the following Act only on that maxim whereby thou canst at the same time will that it should become a universal law. Kant believed that all moral duties could be deduced from this categorical imperative. What is categorical imperative exactly, In essence, if you want to decide whether an act is morally good, then you should be able to will that everyone else would act in the same way. In other words, the act must be universalizable.in the
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If she says no, then abortion cannot be moral. Let dwell deeper, a woman who wanted to have an abortion could not force every other woman to also have an abortion when she is pregnant. Because in one generation the human race would go extinct and nobody could have an abortion. By Kant’s reasoning, this makes abortion irrational and, therefore, immoral. As with the large occurring abortion there wouldn’t be a next
“I don’t love you anymore, and I’m not sure if I ever did.” (Munson, 2009) What would your reaction be if your husband or significant other said this to you? How would those words make you feel? Would you be able to set aside your own feelings to see the bigger issue? Could you understand, be secure in yourself, and in the relationship you have had? It would take an extremely strong person to be able to set aside their feelings of anger and hurt, in order to see that there was a struggle deeper, than he was displaying. Most people would go in to fight or flight mode, but instead, this wife chose to take in his words that came flying at her like a kick in the stomach. She listened, came to a calm, rational decision, which she felt was best for her family.
Philosophy is one’s oxygen. Its ubiquitous presence is continuously breathed in and vital to survival, yet its existence often goes unnoticed or is completely forgotten. Prussian philosopher Immanuel Kant was one of the many trees depositing this indispensable system of beliefs into the air. Philosophy is present in all aspects of society, no matter how prominent it may be. As Kant was a product of the Scientific Revolution in Europe, the use of reason was an underlying component in the entirety of his ideas. One of his main principles was that most human knowledge is derived from experience, but one also may rely on instinct to know about something before experiencing it. He also stated that an action is considered moral based on the motive behind it, not the action itself. Kant strongly believed that reason should dictate goodness and badness (McKay, 537). His philosophies are just as present in works of fiction as they are in reality. This is exemplified by Lord of the Flies, a fiction novel written by William Golding. The novel strongly focuses on the origins of evil, as well as ethics, specifically man’s treatment of animals and those around him. Kant’s philosophy is embedded in the thoughts and actions of Piggy, Ralph, Jack, and Simon throughout the novel. Kant’s beliefs also slither into “Snake,” a poem by D.H. Lawrence, focusing on the tainting of the pure human mind by societal pressures and injustices. Overall, both the poet in “Snake” and Piggy, Ralph, Jack, and Simon in Lord of the Flies showcase Immanuel Kant’s theories on ethics, reasoning, and nature.
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 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 ...
Kant starts by explaining the three divisions of philosophy which are: physics, ethics, and logic. He clarifies that physics and ethics are a posteriori while logic is, a priori, but there is a third variable that interacts both which is also the foundation of morals. This is the categorical imperative or also known as the synthetic a priori. The categorical imperative or the moral law is the reason of individuals’ actions. Kant goes on to say “I should never except in such a way that I can also will that my maxim should become a universal law” (Immanuel Kant, Page14 (line 407-408)). This indicates that an individual should not do anything that is not their own laws or rules that cannot become universal to all individuals. Throughout the Grounding for the Metaphysics of Morals, Kant defines what categorical imperative is, but also its four distinct articulations.
To analyze the question of "Is abortion moral? " one must not take different examples, but use a single example that includes most, if not all of the cases. The only exception, for the reasons I will state afterwards, is sexual harassment. This is the only extreme case that occurs in real life. To strengthen the argument I will try to look from a Kantian perspective. .
Overall Kant’s concepts of ‘The Good Will’ and ‘The Categorical Imperative’ can be applied to any situation. His ideas of moral law, good will, duty, maxims, and universal law all intertwine to support his belief. As a whole his concept enables the Kingdom of Ends, which is the desired result of the morality of humanity. Everyone is to treat everyone based upon true good will actions instead of personal gains, this way no one gets used. In all Kant trusts if this is achieved there will be universal peace across humanity.
Immanuel Kant was German philosopher who was an influential figure in modern philosophy since he was one of the first to analyze the process of thinking. Kant was not only just a prominent figure in philosophy, but contributed greatly in metaphysics, epistemology, and aesthetics. Some of his major works were the Critique of Pure Reason, Prolegomena to Any Future Metaphysics, Critique of Practical Reason, and Critique of Judgement. His form of ethics or philosophy is known as Kantian Ethics which are mostly based off of deontology, which is the ethical position that judges an action based on its morality and not the consequence. Like any philosophy on ethics, there are pros and cons to it and we will analyze them. I personally believe that
would be unfair to use the one to the side as a means to save the
At this point he restates the categorical imperative in a positive form: “Act only on that maxim through which you can at the same time will that it should become a universal law” (88). He then offers examples and arguments supporting this concept and its formulation before introducing two other key concepts. One is the idea of humanity as completely autonomous, not merely a means to an end but “as an end in itself” (98), and the other is the vision of rational beings engaging their reason to live out the categorical imperative and thereby compose what Kant calls a “kingdom of ends” (100), whose members autonomously choose to act dutifully as an end unto itself. He then ends with a comprehensive overview of the preceding argument before demonstrating how other approaches to morality, in his view, fall short as laws for
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.
...nature, this suggests pregnancy is a practical and natural law. Abortion being the opposite would be a counter to practical and natural law. Kant drives the point of home by stating “Act only in accordance with that maxim through which you can at the same time will that it become a universal law.” Since abortion will never become a universal law and pregnancy is the universal law for repopulation, pregnancy is the only acceptable choice.
In Kant’s book, Groundwork of the Metaphysics of Morals, Kant talks about the three formulations of the categorical imperative. By these formulations, he describes his idea of organizing the moral principle for all rational beings. Kant also talks about the principles of humanity, rational ends, and the “realm of ends” which are constituted by the autonomous freedom of rational beings.
For example, a mother who opts to abort lives a life full of misery and guilt following her unethical action. The same issue is explored by Kant, where he argues that frequent abortions would make the human race extinct. Therefore, not irrational or good to the society. Lastly, they argue that abortion denies the fetus the right to life which is granted by the Human Rights Commission. Judith Thomson argument that a human embryo is a person indicates that he or she has the right to life, and no one has a right to terminate it (Baird & Stuart, 78). Therefore, abortion is unacceptable, irrational and immoral action to
Kant's Categorical Imperative Deontology is the ethical view that some actions are morally forbidden or permitted, regardless of consequences. One of the most influential deontological philosophers in history is Immanuel Kant, who developed the idea of the Categorical Imperative. Kant believed that the only thing of intrinsic moral worth is good will. Kant says in his work Morality and Rationality “ The good will is not good because of what it affects or accomplishes or because of it’s adequacy to achieve some proposed end; it is good only because of it’s willingness, i.e., it is good of itself”.