Immanuel Kant's Theory Of Morality

Immanuel Kant was a German philosopher from Königsberg in Prussia (today Kaliningrad, Russia) who researched, lectured and wrote on philosophy and anthropology during the Enlightenment at the end of the 18th century. Kant published other important works on ethics, religion, law, aesthetics, astronomy, and history. These included the Critique of Practical Reason 1788, the Metaphysics of Morals 1797, which dealt with ethics, and the Critique of Judgment 1790, which looks at aesthetics and teleology.
In his book on ethics, Kant has propounded his theory on morality and how it affects our decision making in our lives. He set forth his Supreme Principle of Morality which was based on three interlinked theories and concepts that he created.
In his first formulation he talks about a universal moral law. Kant holds that moral questions are to be decided by reason. Reason, according to Kant, always seeks unity under principles, and ultimately, systematic unity under the fewest possible number of principles. He says that making any decision based on morality, it …show more content…
These decisions should be based on laws of morality and reason. Through autonomous will one gives a law to oneself, a law made by his own reason and sensibilities. It is then one’s duty to follow this law. Kant says that autonomous law is above all other inclinations; even natural necessities should not hamper this will. People should make rational decisions using their autonomous will and all their moral actions should be based on their reason. In a situation where you have to decide, whether to stay in the library and study for a test or go and eat lunch because you are hungry; you should chose the course of action that is most rational and true to your duty. If you go for lunch while your will actually is to study, it is a violation of your autonomy even if lunch is a natural