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Kant's Categorical Imperative
Ethical egoism kant
Kant ethics summary
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In Ethics Kant described his ethical system, which is based on a belief that the reason is the final authority for morality. Actions of any sort, he believed, must be undertaken from a sense of duty dictated by reason, and no action performed for suitability or merely in compliance to law or custom can be regarded as ethical. Kant described two types of commands given by reason. The first was hypothetical imperative, which dictates a given course of action to reach a specific end, and the categorical imperative, which dictates a course of action that must be followed because of its rightness and necessity. The categorical imperative is the basis of morality and was stated by Kant as "Act as if the maxim of your action were to become through …show more content…
The first being hypothetical imperative reason. It is a method in which we try to attain an end such as happiness. The hypothetical imperative includes the ability to lie under certain circumstances when it is prudent. The hypothetical imperative also exerts heteronomy of the will, in that the will is following desire which is dictating to the will what to do. The categorical imperative requires the independence of the will, as the categorical imperative requires that we make choices to follow universal laws, and that we are not doing something because we will get something else from …show more content…
According to CNN “To pursue their career aspirations and to have biologically related children”, the two tech companies seem to have made the decision in good will because it is solely in the benefit of the employee. Through time and as statistics support women make up 50.8 percent of the U.S. population, they earn almost 60 percent of undergraduate degrees, and 60 percent of all master’s degrees. They earn 47 percent of all law degrees, and 48 percent of all medical degrees. They earn more than 44 percent of master’s degrees in business and management, including 37 percent of MBAs. They are 47 percent of the U.S. labor force, and 59 percent of the college-educated, entry-level workforce (Citation). Although they hold almost 52 percent of all professional-level jobs, American women lag substantially behind men when it comes to their representation in leadership positions because they are only 14.6 percent of executive officers, 8.1 percent of top earners, and 4.6 percent of Fortune 500 CEOs (; so for Apple and Facebook to take on the expenses for motivated women who are driven in their careers they seem to be deemed morally a good person and at good will. Regrettably this still doesn’t give their act a pass and
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.
Categorical imperatives are the basis of morality because they provoke pure reasons for every human beings actions. By the end of his work, one will understand Kant’s beliefs on morality, but to explain this, he goes into depth on the difference between hypothetical imperatives and Categorical Imperative, two different formulations of the Categorical Imperative, and a few examples. According to Kant, there are two types on imperatives, categorical imperatives and hypothetical imperatives. The Categorical Imperative is based on relation and not by means, which hypothetical imperatives are based on.
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 ...
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.
would be unfair to use the one to the side as a means to save the
In Fundamental Principles of the Metaphysic of Morals, Kant begins by discussing two types of imperatives: hypothetical imperatives, which are means to an unrelated ends, and categorical imperatives, which are objectively necessary and ends in and of themselves. Hypothetical imperatives include rules of skill and counsels of prudence. Rules of skill are rules that state something must be done to achieve something else. For example, a person must practice the piano to become good at playing it. Counsels of prudence are rules that provide means to happiness. They operate under the assumption that everyone wants happiness. Counsels of prudence must be empirical because everyone has different ways of achieving happiness and those can only be found
In Section One and Section Two of his work. Kant explores his position on his fundamental principle of morality, or his “categorical imperative”, or his idea that all actions are moral and “good” if they are performed as a duty. Such an idea is exemplified when he says, “I should never act except in such a way that I can also will that my maxim should become a universal law” (Kant 14). The philosopher uses examples such as suicide and helping others in distress to apply his principal to possible real life situation. Kant is successful in regards to both issues. As a result, it means that categorical imperative can plausibly be understood as the fundamental principle of all morality. Kant’s reasoning for his categorical imperative is written in a way that makes the theory out to be very plausible.
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.
They are also contingent, meaning that they can be good or bad depending on how they are used. People choose to perform a given action because of the hypothetical imperative. The second reason for performing an action, according to Kant, is called the categorical imperative. These are not based on our preferences, don’t deal with the consequences of an action, and are derived from a priori. They are completely separate from hypothetical imperatives.
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 a 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 willing, i.e., it is good of itself”. A maxim is the generalized rule that characterizes the motives for a person’s actions. For Kant, a will that is good is one that is acting by the maxim of doing the right thing because it is right thing to do. The moral worth of an action is determined by whether or not it was acted upon out of respect for the moral law, or the Categorical Imperative. Imperatives in general imply something we ought to do however there is a distinction between categorical imperatives and hypothetical imperatives. Hypothetical imperatives are obligatory so long as we desire X. If we desire X we ought to do Y. However, categorical imperatives are not subject to conditions. The Categorical Imperative is universally binding to all rational creatures because they are rational. Kant proposes three formulations the Categorical Imperative in his Groundwork for the Metaphysics of Moral, the Universal Law formulation, Humanity or End in Itself formulation, and Kingdom of Ends formulation. In this essay, the viablity of the Universal Law formulation is tested by discussing two objections to it, mainly the idea that the moral laws are too absolute and the existence of false positives and false negatives.
People face ethical choices every day, and there are several different approaches towards reaching a decision. A professor is tasked with making a decision as to whether he should report a high-achieving student, Charlie, for plagiarizing an article. The professor must use reasoning and ethics. One of the most famous form of ethics is Kantian ethics, which is a form of deontology, or duty-based ethics. The professor can use Kantian ethics to make his decision, or he can take into account the context of the situation to further asses as I would do.
Kant concentrated on two forms of categorical imperative. The First form, “Act only when on that maxim that you can will as a universal law,” means that my act should be one that can become a universal law and is non-contradictory. The Second form: “Always treat persons, in self and others, always as an end and never as a means only,” means we should treat others with the same regard as we would like to be treated. In evaluating Kant's moral theory, the four aspects of focus are: moral obligation, categorical imperative, duty, and equality and impartiality. Moral obligation is the idea of doing the right thing because it is the right thing to do.
Keith should be concerned about the payment because it’s against the law which makes it illegal rather than a major ethical issue. In future, if such payments are discovered during the audit process, the trust of the stakeholders will be breached and it might result in huge penalty.
I believe both Kant and Aristotle are relevant to our discussion today. Kant’s categorical imperative, which is considered a deontological (non-consequentialist) view to this discussion. Kant’s categorical imperative is based on the following three principles: a moral command we issue to ourselves; focuses on judging our own action based on reason; and requires us to be aware of ourselves and others. At the foundation of Kant’s theory is an awareness of the need for: duty, respect and universality. Where, Aristotle through his virtue ethics believed in an unmoved mover, as well as, the fact that all humans are social and political animals. Aristotle also claimed that virtue is human excellence; and that happiness and the fulfillment of