Ethics Kantian Ethics

Decision Alternatives: Currently the Vice President is faced with a daunting decision. The CEO has clearly expressed her position not to disclose the company’s situation. The knowledge of the chemically contaminated tanks, buried beneath company headquarters, is entrusted to a few key individuals. I would now like to discuss another author by the name of Peter A. French. In an excerpt of “The Corporation as a Moral Person” French states, “corporations can be full-fledged moral persons and have whatever privileges, rights and duties as are in the normal course of affairs accorded to moral persons” (French, 1979). Peter French argues that corporations have “responsibility relationships.” By identifying who is responsible, one can simultaneously determine who is liable. Corporations, as Peter French would argue, have a social responsibility.

Immanuel Kant was an influential philosopher that looked at ethics and morality from a different perspective from Utilitarians. Kant believed that people are obligated to follow

Another topic that Kant contributed to is morality. According to Kant, moral laws cannot be derived from human nature. To put it in other terms, it is not human nature that should be used as a model to how we should behave morally. Kant believed that humans do not always make the right moral decisions because human nature can be flawed at times, often times choosing an animalistic desire over doing something that is morally permissible. In addition, Kant believed that the outcome of human nature is not the central issue when it comes to knowing what is right or what is wrong. Instead, Kant believes that it each of the individual actions that should be analyzed to see if it is morally wrong or if it is morally right. Kant’s point of view about morality is different from previous philosophers, because most of them looked to human nature in order to find the morally right things to do.

Immanuel Kant was a philosopher born in 1724 and is now considered to be a central figure in philosophy and ethics. He believed that our actions performed from our morals should be based on reason. He created a moral law that argues what should and should not be considered “good” actions. Kant’s article also talks about how our decisions and actions that are performed out of our morals, are the only pure good actions that we make because they are unselfish. He argues this because he believes that out moral duties are performed by reasoning and has nothing do with our emotions.

Even though Kant does seem to be making his point, he has many flaws in his reasoning. One problem is that he doesn’t look at the big picture; he seems to say that if we are to make a moral decision then it should be based on being intrinsically good so that you are able to universalize it which is a good thought however he doesn’t look at situations case by case. He doesn’t believe that there are any exceptions to his theory about categorical imperatives, he believes that it is morally right to act in a certain way for one situation, then you should act that way in all situations and also if it is wrong to act a certain way then it is wrong to act that

In Elements of Pure Practical Reason Book, I, Immanuel Kant, a prominent late Enlightenment Era German philosopher discusses his most famous ethical theory, the “Categorical Imperative.” The “Categorical Imperative” is a proposed universal law in stating all humans are forbidden from certain actions regardless of consequences. Although this is the general definition of this ethical theory, the Categorical Imperative” exists in two above formulations, A strict interpretation of Categorical Imperative and a more liberal interpretation. This Kantian moral theory shapes almost all of Immanuel Kant’s work on morality and ethics, particularly his “a priori principle” on human rights. Although Kant ultimately developed enlightenment era political theory, many of his views are often seen as bizarre or even controversial at times, particularly in regards his “a priori principles” of the people and the Categorical Imperative itself. By further analysis of the categorical imperatives and critiques, objections, and the theory’s connections with the “a priori principles,” Kantian philosophy implication as well as critic’s views on the philosophy will be readily apparent.

The philosophy of Kant has become a turning point in the development of the Western thinking and worldview. His innovative and progressive ideas have strongly contributed to the formation of a new paradigm of the universe and role of humans in it. A great role in Kant’s studies belongs to the analysis of ethics, morality and law as the main regulators of the human behavior in the society Kant is known as the founder of the deontological ethics (Kantianism), which presents a rational alternative to the utilitarian ethics and ideas. Particularly, the deontological findings and categorical imperative of Kant prove that it is virtually impossible to act immorally. The aim of this paper is to analyze the ethical concepts of Kantian ethics and prove the fact that acting immorally is irrational and unacceptable.

  Kant said that nothing was good in itself except for a good will. By will he meant the ability to act from principle; only when we act from a sense of duty does our act have moral worth. We determine our duty by the categorical imperative. An example of good will would be to use the “Golden Rule,” do unto others as you would have them do unto you. Kant uses this to say that a person’s actions are reflected in their actions toward another person. As a person intends to do good to another person, that makes his effort fit within the categorical imperative. Kant believed that there was one command that was binding on all rational agents—the categorical imperative, that says that we must always act so that the maxim of our action can be consistently willed to be universal law. By maxim, Kant meant the principle or rule that people formulate to determine their conduct. If a maxim could

Kant Ethics were proposed by the German philosopher Immanuel Kant, who was of the opinion that it ought to be possible at all times for an individual to do the right thing as long as it is within their power and control. Kant presupposes that, in his ethics, the rightness or wrongness of an action is dependent on the intentions of their doer. This, Kant ethics believe, means that an individual's intentions play a crucial role in shaping the morality of their actions. Kant also suggested that is hard for an individual to do the right thing for the wrong reasons and vice versa. So, the ability to be good and be showered with praise or be bad and be condemned with endless blame lies squarely within our control

According to MacKinnon & Fiala (2015), Kant’s ethical theory is a deontological theory. A deontology theory is based on “duties, obligations, and rights” (p. 111). The focus of this essay is how Kant uses the ‘Categorical Imperative’ to explain the nature of ethics.

German philosopher Kant was first to introduce the Kantian ethics; hence, the named after him. According to Professor Elizabeth Anscombe, Immanuel Kant was Unitarianism’s rival; he believed actions that are taboo should be completely prohibited at all times. For instance, murder should be prohibited. Even though nowadays a person cannot be punished if death is involved as a self defense, from Kant’s perspective this is still prohibited, although sometimes these actions bring more happiness to the big majority of people than sorrow. Kant stated that before acting, one should ask his/her self: am I acting rationally and in a way that everyone will act as I purpose to act? Is my action going to respect the moral law or just my own purpose? If the answer to those questions is a no, the action must be abandoned. Kant’s theory is an example of the deontological theory that was developed in the age of enlightenment. According to Elizabeth, these theories say that “the rightness or wrongness of actions does not depend on their consequences but on whether they fulfill our duty.”( Anscombe, 2001) Kant said that morality is built based on what he called “Hypothetical Imperatives”, but rather principles called “Categorical Imperatives” he referred to it as the supreme principle of morality. (Texas A&M University, n.d.) Cavico and Mujtaba reported on their book that Kant stated that morality

Immanuel Kant ethical theory is all about finding your duty. Aristole belived that if you were happy you were a moral person. Kant on the otehr hand belives that the highest good is a good will. He believes there are four kinds of actions. The first is an action opposed to duty. The second action is actions in accordance with duty but with no inclinations. This is when it is something a moral person would do but has no inclinations to do that certain act. For example everyone pays there bills but does not want to do that. The third action is actions in accordance with duty with inclinations. The person does the right thing and he wants to do the right thing but only for there own selfish reasons. The fourth actions are actions from duty. According

Morals are sometimes known to be a tricky thing. Most everyone around the world has morals, but they all have a different meaning. In a standard definition, morals are “standards of behavior; principles of right and wrong” (Moral). People judge how they should act or respond to things based upon their morals. In addition, people rely on other standards to apply as well as their own. People relate with others moral codes to increase or change their own ideas. They follow how others have responded to a situation that could be very unfamiliar to them in hopes that the situation will become clearer. I am going to show some influential philosophers and their morality, as well as try to explain how I incorporate many philosopher’s morals and ethical systems into my own code.

Kant’s supreme principle of morality is also based on reason. According to him, acting on principle signifies that we should do something simply because it is the right thing to do. In addition, he argues that the morality of an act depends on a person’s intentions. A moral act is one done for the right reasons, even if it has bad consequences or it is not in the agent’s best interest. In other words, the highest function of reason is to establish good will, not happiness (Kant, P.96). In his view of morality, self-interest and duty come into conflict since performing one’s duty does not necessarily make someone or others happy. In fact, being ethical often hurts. Overall, happiness plays almost no role in Kant’s morality. In his opinion, a good will is not good because it tries to promote some good end. Firstly, a good will is always good, good unconditionally, and never in any way bad. Secondly, all other goods, for instance, gifts of nature or fortune, are good only conditionally and are worthless or even bad when the relevant conditions are not satisfied. Lastly, the goodness of any conditioned good depends on it being combined with a good will. This concept of a will estimable in itself and good without regard to any further end is captured in Kant’s first proposition: Only an act done from duty has moral worth (Kant, P.98). Having a good will is the condition to be satisfied for any other good

In society, morality is defined as the beliefs and ideas of what is right or wrong behaviour. (Can you cite a dictionary?) The teachings of morality also known as moral education is heavily dependent on individuals that have a major impact on one`s life. The teachings usually start from a young age through parents, caregivers and educators in society. Due to their influence on young children`s lives it is their responsibility to make certain that young children will learn to make logical decisions that would contribute in a positive way in society. An ethical theory that would best describe people that influence young children would be Kantian`s ethics. His ethical theory elucidates that morality is when we act based on duty for duty`s