Kant's Second Formulation Of The Categorical Imperative

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Recommended: 3 formulations of Kant's categorical imperative

Do not utilize others for your own personal needs,” is a simple rephrasing of Kant's second formulation of the categorical imperative. The categorical imperative is Kant's statement of a moral law, which should be followed by a rational being without any exceptions. The main premise of the this argument is that each rational being should be able to follow some type of higher law, which produces moral worth. Kant first wishes to provide a distinction between person and things, and this distinction is the basis for the second formulation of the categorical imperative. Moral worth determines the motive behind the action; Kant uses this to formulate the categorical imperative. Using others is not morally correct and adds up to no moral worth. Kant does not claim that using a person as mean is incorrect, but using the person merely as means is wrong. Kant also states that “rational nature exists as an …show more content…

A person utilizes a person without there being anything morally wrong. However one example we could test out would be if the person that is being used as a mean knows they are being used; nonetheless they allow it, for in the end it will help themselves. For example a child ask for a loan from his parents; the parents knowing the probability of repayment is really low still allow themselves to be used as a mean by the child. The parents may not receive anything from it right away, so a person could say they are being used although in the long run one might say that the parents are doing this for themselves because they want to be known as good parents. This example completely defies the categorical imperative, since the parents have full acknowledgment of what is going on. Therefore the formulation is compromised because both, the parents and child, are using each other as mean; however there is an end to this for both parties receive something

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