Principles Of The Metaphysics Of Morals By Kant

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Kant opens up Fundamental Principles of the Metaphysics of Morals by saying, “Nothing can possibly be conceived in the world, or even out of it, which can be called good without qualification, except a good will,” and it is with this sentence that he introduces his idea of non-consequentialism (p. 151). Non-consequentialism can be described as a philosophical theory that states that the morality of our behaviour does not depend on the consequences of our actions, but instead depends on the intent with which we perform these actions. With this piece of writing, Kant attempts to delve deeper into the principles of human morality, discover what makes an action right or wrong, and determine the correct motives for performing any action.
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Kant goes on to clarify that, “A good will is good not because of what it performs or effects, not by its aptness for the attainment of some proposed end, but simply by virtue of the volition” (p. 152). By this, he means that a good will is not made good by the thing it accomplishes in the end, but instead by the motivation for performing that action. He gives the example of someone who loves to help people and receives great pleasure from it. Now, to most this may seem like a perfectly good reason to do something for someone. However, Kant argues that if the morality of an action depends upon the intention of that action, then doing something for

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