Hypothetical imperative

For centuries, philosophers have debated the principles and axioms of ethics. They have striven to lay forth values and rules considered self-evident, and determine what is truly moral and truly right. The debate has led to many different schools of thought, a number of them directly contrasting with each other. A beautiful example of these opposing philosophies can be seen when comparing the works of Immanuel Kant and John Stuart Mill. In their respective pieces, Groundwork on the Metaphysics…

First Principles and Moral Philosophy In many ways, eighteenth century philosopher Immanuel Kant and nineteenth century philosopher John Stuart Mill represent opposing sides of philosophical theory. While Kant is more concerned with metaphysics and epistemology, Mill explores the consequentialist side of moral philosophy. Though their starting points may seem at odds, we find both men drawing on the concept of a first principle. As Mill puts it, a first principle is an “ultimate standard” to…

Utilitarianism and deontological theory have their similarities and differences in the philosophical world. The greatest happiness principle, used by utilitarianism, is that an act is right as far as it tends to produce the greatest happiness for the greatest amount of people. Happiness is equal to the pleasure and the absence of pain. Bentham’s idea of pleasure falls under three points; intensity (how strong), duration (how long lasting), and the propinquity (how soon). Later Mill’s added to…

This essay will set out to prove that Mill’s belief that our moral imperative is to maximize net happiness without accounting for equal distribution, regardless of certain individuals’ happiness, is incorrect. It will be shown that Mill’s argument system for deciding this is flawed, and that it lacks vital definitions that determine the basis of the argument. This essay concludes that without these proper definitions for happiness or pleasure, and without a way of quantifying these, it is…

There are two different moral theories on how to approach decision-making in life: utilitarianism and deontology. In this paper, there will be an exploration of the two theories and its application to a scenario of embezzlement. It is within this frame that we are able to determine which theory better justifies their argument after evaluating the actions of the company’s accountant, Kayla Archer The philosophy of Utilitarianism is the belief that the consequences of actions are important to…

Ethics What has value? Doing the Right Thing Human beings commonly act out of self interest. Image is an important part of who we are. The right thing to do it categorical, not hypocritie What is "doing the right thing"? Is it the golden rule of treating others the way you would want to be treated? Acting on impulse because it feels good? Or doing your duty because it is your “job” to do so? One cannot determine what is "right" and what is "wrong"; it…

The categorical imperative is a moral obligation that is not dependent on the situation of individual, meaning there is a set rule for everyone. A Kantian would say that in order to do something, everyone else must also be allowed to do it. This means that if someone can…

The phrase 'moral goodness ' is one that is plagued with ambiguity. How do you define 'moral goodness '? The vagueness of the term has resulted in vast and varying definitions of the term, for every man believes themselves an expert complained Socrates regarding this issue . Every moral experience involves 'moral goodness ', with the decisions, actions, and potentially results all playing a role in determining whether a moral decision achieves this status or not. Its role within experiences…

Regardless of the branch of philosophy that a philosopher is focusing on, whether it be epistemology, metaphysics, ethics, politics, or aesthetics, each one must establish a base from which they will build their specific thought process. It is within the nature of reason, or their signature strategy to approaching logic and observations, that effectively separates one philosopher from the next. Correspondingly, philosophers Thomas Hobbes and David Hume attempt to lay an empirical foundation,…

Immanuel Kant is a well know German philosopher who is considered to be the central figure to modern philosophy. In 1785, one of his famous works, Grounding for the Metaphysics of Morals, was first published. This text is split up into three section, and within the second section is Kant’s well known moral theory. This theory states that everything in nature works according to laws and in order for a law to be a moral law, it must be a universal law. These laws apply to all rational beings,…