Hypothetical imperative

The categorical imperative idea was introduced by Immanuel Kant in 1785 in his Grounding for the Metaphysics of Morals book. Before I get into what his categorical imperative is all about, let me tell you how Kant saw morals. Kant believes that there are different motives that pull at our human will making us take different paths or choosing different ways to do things. He then goes more into depth saying that there are two classes of morals, selfish decisions and rational obligations.…

which Kant declares it as “moral”; and all this unconditional incitement he refers to as “priori”. But we have hardly seen any examples where actions have been taken without any motive and that is why categorical imperatives must therefore be derived as priori. According to categorical imperative in terms of the will of a rational person it means that you should treat other people like the way you want to be…

Further, this essay is also noteworthy and very prophetic, since Kant hints at the distinction between hypothetical and categorical imperatives which became more prominent in his thought as he developed his philosophy. One ought to do this or that and not some other things.’ This is the formula under which every obligation is proclaimed. Every ought presents a necessity of action and is qualified for two meanings: either I ought to do something as a means if I wish something else as an end, or…

Kantian ethics. Kant believed that whether an action was right or wrong did not depend on the consequences, but on whether they fulfilled our duty as rational beings. Kant’s ethics are guided from the philosophical concept that is the Categorical Imperative, a wholly binding rule of morality that is justified as an end in itself. In the spelunker case, Kant would ultimately have the choice of killing the large man to save himself and the life of others, or have all of them perish. The fact that…

Introduction According to Immanuel Kant, any action a moral agent commits out of sympathy or a subjective desire has no moral value, in turn, any action a moral agent commits out of duty or obedience has a moral value. Even when a subjective desire motivates an action to achieve a positive outcome, it is still considered morally worthless. This paper will discuss the motivations and incentives behind actions committed by moral agents. It will also cover the differences between a subjectively or…

John Stuart Mill is a philosopher who believes that ethics deals with obligations. He feels it has nothing to do with facts,science, but more on how one should act. He puts forth a supreme principle through obligation that he wants one to follow based on law. This opened up the door to exploring .how utilitarianism is different from ethical theories. There are two differences that play an important distinct role with other philosophers. Mill defends his Utilitarianism theory no matter what…

Does the moral worth of an action come from the consequence or the thought behind that action? In Grounding for the Metaphysics of Morals, Immanuel Kant states that “the moral worth of an action does not lie in the effect expected from it” but that it is motivated out of respect for the moral law (Kant 401). However, in Utilitarianism, Mill supports the claim that what makes actions good is the outcome, not the action’s initial moral worth, “the motive has nothing to do with the morality of the…

In this essay I will discuss what autonomy means for Kant. I will also talk about its relevance for agency, personhood and responsibility. Firstly, I will give a brief explanation of responsibility, personhood and agency. Secondly, I will then discuss the relevance autonomy holds for agency, and responsibility as already stated. Autonomy is seen as having control over our actions and the ability of self-governance. Reason alone verifies the dimensions to know what morality requires of us, and…

Immanuel Kant argued that the most important part of morality is a standard of rationality. With this being said he created something called the categorical imperative. The categorical imperative has three major formulations. Of relevance to this essay is the second formulation: “Act as to treat humanity, whether in your own person, or in the person person go another, never simply as a means, but always at the same time as an end.”(Dieser, 2017) This means that we should treat people the way…

readily distinguish “whether the action which agrees with duty is done from duty, or from a selfish view” (Kant 2). In order to figure out whether our actions correspond to this concept of duty, Kant has established what is known as the categorical imperative which states that you should reflect upon your actions and be comfortable with them becoming a universal law. Insofar as duty is concerned, if we follow this principle it allows for a broader understanding of what is meant by moral and…