Concepts of freedom and morality gained a lot of momentum during the Enlightenment period. The Enlightenment period saw a shift from the main line of thinking from religion to reason. Because of this shift of the dominant ideologies, philosophers attempted to explain morality through empirical means rather than attributing morality to God. Two of the most influential philosophers of this period were Immanuel Kant and Jean-Jacques Rousseau. This essay will show how Kant’s perspective of freedom and morality was inspired by Rousseau and how the way in which Kant’s view of freedom relates to his idea of the moral law is due to his view of autonomy. To demonstrate how Kant’s notion of freedom is related to his view of the Moral Law I will outline
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Enlightenment thinkers wanted to move away from a metaphysical understanding of the law because it fails to provide an adequate understanding. According to Rousseau, moral behaviour can be achieved through reason and reason alone:
“All justice comes from God, who is sole source; but if we knew how to government nor laws. Doubtless, there is a universal justice emanating from reason alone; but this justice, to be admitted among us, must be mutual.”
What this argument appears to be saying is that there is an absolute morality that can be derived from reason, but this understanding of reason must be shared amongst all human beings. What this absolute understanding of morality does is that it offers human beings with a clear understanding of what is morally acceptable and unacceptable. On the other hand, this understanding of morality does not consider the situation in which a moral judgement has been made.
Nevertheless, Rousseau’s view of morality inspired Immanuel Kant, who also believed that there was an objective moral law that can, and should be understood through reason. He rejects the idea that morality is dependent on “God’s will or the desire to promote
Enlightenment thinkers wanted to move away from a metaphysical understanding of the law because it fails to provide an adequate understanding. According to Rousseau, moral behaviour can be achieved through reason and reason alone:
“All justice comes from God, who is sole source; but if we knew how to government nor laws. Doubtless, there is a universal justice emanating from reason alone; but this justice, to be admitted among us, must be mutual.”
What this argument appears to be saying is that there is an absolute morality that can be derived from reason, but this understanding of reason must be shared amongst all human beings. What this absolute understanding of morality does is that it offers human beings with a clear understanding of what is morally acceptable and unacceptable. On the other hand, this understanding of morality does not consider the situation in which a moral judgement has been made.
Nevertheless, Rousseau’s view of morality inspired Immanuel Kant, who also believed that there was an objective moral law that can, and should be understood through reason. He rejects the idea that morality is dependent on “God’s will or the desire to promote