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What Is Kant's Categorical Imperative?

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In the medical field, there are several ethical issues that can arise. In the case of whether Nurse Sanchez is at liberty to tell Jake that he is dying from leukemia, there are obviously some ethical issues at play. In analyzing this particular issue, I will utilize three formulas of Immanuel Kant’s categorical imperative to show that Jake should be told about his prognosis because not telling him would violate each formula. The first formula of Kant’s categorical imperative that I will use is the Formula of Universal Law. This formula essentially states that a certain action must be able to be applied to anyone and it must result in only good. In this instance, I will use the fact that Jake’s mother is comfortable lying to Jake, as well as encouraging the doctors to lie to him as well, as the action. Per the Formula of Universal Law, lying is an action whose maxim fails the categorical imperative. Lying can be applied to anyone, as anyone can lie, but it does not result in good because it misleads people. Therefore, Jake’s mom and doctors lying to him fails to pass as an acceptable action when applied to the Formula of Universal Law. The second formula is the Formula of Humanity as an End. The main idea of this formula is that we should never use a person as a means to an …show more content…
This formula states that forcing people to go against their rights or what is good for them is wrong. The situation we are presented with violates this in two ways. First, it violates Jake’s right to know what is going on with his own body. While he may be a minor in legal terms, Kant does not distinguish an age at which we gain autonomy, therefore we must assume that Jake has this right. Second, it violates Nurse Sanchez’s right to do what is good for her, and it forces her to go against her beliefs and rights. As a result, the situation violates the third formula of Kant’s categorical imperative that I have

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