In this case, Harriet is stuck between a dilemma of choosing who to save and she chooses to save the individual that is inherently more valuable. This paper supports Harriet’s decision by using Kantian ethics such as Kant’s theory on moral praise, Kant’s theory on imperfect duties, and finally by Kant’s formulation analysis of a categorical imperative. I will use Kantian ethics to support why Harriet deserves moral praise. After supporting why Harriet deserves moral praise I will briefly discuss the arguments against why Harriet does not deserve moral praise under Kantian ethics.
Kant’s Theory of Moral Praise The first reason why Harriet deserves moral praise can be supported by Kant’s idea of moral praise. According to Kant, “The person …show more content…
As stated before in Kant’s theory of moral praise, the motivation of an individual making a decision based off her emotions and feelings (Kantian ethics, csus.edu). Harriet has to make the decision for what is best for society; a feeling towards choosing one of the individuals that she thinks emotionally about is a selfish pursuit (Kantian ethics, csus.edu). Secondly, Harriet is not morally worthy of praise because she does not fulfill a duty. If Harriet follows the contrary, Harriet is not performing a duty because the duty is not actually a duty because her motivation is not based off “good will” (Stanford.edu). Instead, her is duty is built on the foundations of selfish-pursuit such as rational thoughts of self-interest and happiness by selecting the one inherently more valuable to herself (Standford.edu). Conclusively, Harriet does not deserve moral praise if she chose the one she values in regards to her well-being, Harriet’s decision is not capable of becoming a universal law of it cannot pass the steps Kant’s formulation analysis of a categorical imperative. Harriet’s selection will not be accepted as a maxim because of the motivation of her tactic (Stanford.edu). The choice will not be made into a rational thought in the perturbed social world, in which the selection would not pass in the real world under Kantian ethics
Kant’s Theory of Moral Praise The first reason why Harriet deserves moral praise can be supported by Kant’s idea of moral praise. According to Kant, “The person …show more content…
As stated before in Kant’s theory of moral praise, the motivation of an individual making a decision based off her emotions and feelings (Kantian ethics, csus.edu). Harriet has to make the decision for what is best for society; a feeling towards choosing one of the individuals that she thinks emotionally about is a selfish pursuit (Kantian ethics, csus.edu). Secondly, Harriet is not morally worthy of praise because she does not fulfill a duty. If Harriet follows the contrary, Harriet is not performing a duty because the duty is not actually a duty because her motivation is not based off “good will” (Stanford.edu). Instead, her is duty is built on the foundations of selfish-pursuit such as rational thoughts of self-interest and happiness by selecting the one inherently more valuable to herself (Standford.edu). Conclusively, Harriet does not deserve moral praise if she chose the one she values in regards to her well-being, Harriet’s decision is not capable of becoming a universal law of it cannot pass the steps Kant’s formulation analysis of a categorical imperative. Harriet’s selection will not be accepted as a maxim because of the motivation of her tactic (Stanford.edu). The choice will not be made into a rational thought in the perturbed social world, in which the selection would not pass in the real world under Kantian ethics