Groundwork of the Metaphysics of Morals by Emmanuel Kant

In the essay titled “Foundations of the Metaphysics of Morals” published in the Morality and Moral Controversies course textbook, Immanuel Kant argues that the view of the world and its laws is structured by human concepts and categories, and the rationale of it is the source of morality which depends upon belief in the existence of God. In Kant’s work, categorical imperative was established in order to have a standard rationale from where all moral requirements derive. Therefore, categorical imperative is an obligation to act morally, out of duty and good will alone. In Immanuel Kant’s writing human reason and or rational are innate morals which are responsible for helping human. Needless to say, this also allows people to be able to

The foundation of the metaphysics of morals is a critical examination of a pure practical reason.

Introduction: In the following essay I will be presenting premises based on Immanuel Kant’s perspective on the matter of, “Groundwork of the Metaphysic of Morals”. Once I have outlined Kant’s view on the matter, I will then object to the conclusions, that “Always treat a human being (yourself included) as an end, and never as a mere means” (Kant pg.169), making his whole argument false.

Kant’s philosophy was based around the theory that we have a moral unconditional obligation and duty that he calls the “Categorical Imperative.” He believes that an action must be done with a motive of this moral obligation, and if not done with this intention then the action would hold no moral value. Under this umbrella of the “Categorical Imperative” he presents three formulations that he believes to be about equal in importance, relevance, and could be tested towards any case. The first formulation known as the Formula of Universal Law consists of a methodical way to find out morality of actions. The second formulation is known as

Through his discussion of morals in the Grounding for the Metaphysics of Morals, Immanuel Kant explores the question of whether a human being is capable of acting solely out of pure duty and if our actions hold true moral value. In passage 407, page 19, Kant proposes that if one were to look at past experiences, one cannot be certain that his or her rationalization for performing an action that conforms with duty could rest solely on moral grounds. In order to fully explain the core principle of moral theory, Kant distinguishes between key notions such as a priori and a posteriori, and hypothetical imperative vs. categorical imperative, in order to argue whether the actions of rational beings are actually moral or if they are only moral

The fundamental principle of morality — the CI — is none other than this law of an autonomous will. Thus, at the heart of Kant's moral philosophy is a conception of reason whose reach in practical affairs goes well beyond that of a Humean ‘slave' to the passions. Moreover, it is the presence of this self-governing reason in each person that Kant thought offered decisive grounds

This week’s reading was Immanuel Kant “Groundwork for the Metaphysics of Morals”. In this reading, he talks about the morality of people and the definition of a good being. There are multiple definitions ranges from the typical selfish acts compare to selfless ones ranging from the obvious ones of inequity to ethics responsibility. Hence, from this long complicated reading of morality, there were many questions that I had about this reading.

Immanuel Kant was an East Prussian philosopher. He spent all of his life in Königsberg, a city in East Prussia. In 1785, Kant wrote Groundwork of the Metaphysics of Morals; a work in which he explored such topics as morals, maxims, and universal laws. Kant’s views on rules and rule-following can used as a means to critically analyze laws and events throughout history. One event in history that can be analyzed through a Kantian perspective is the United Nations Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime and how those laws were followed during and in the wake of the Rwandan Genocide.

Immanuel Kant is known as the famous German philosopher who argued two main points in his philosophy: that the human mind creates the structure of the human experience and that reason is the source of morality. More specifically, Kant used his philosophy to argue that in order to figure out what is the right thing, we must rely on reason. Unlike several other philosophers, Kant refused to use religion as a method to know what the law was to determine right and wrong, because he believed it was all knowable based on our intellect. Kant’s key principle throughout his philosophy is to assert that the only way a person can achieve good will is by accomplishing it through duty.

Immanuel Kant offered a reorientation on how the established questions of metaphysics can be resolved. He claimed that man’s mind constructs human experience and that reality must agree with the mind’s notions, in contradiction of the view that the mind is a reflection of reality. His interpretation was that the mind is capable of actively creating experiences instead of passively being shaped by reality. Kant further believed that man possesses an objective knowledge of the universe. A priori laws were the basis of this knowledge; but, questioned its possibility. His assertions specified that the subject provides the laws that create the experiences of objects and that these laws were a priori laws that man holds about all objects prior to man’s experiences about them. To understand these laws, Kant investigated man’s experiences, specifying those which are given by the mind apart from those which were provided by instincts. He further argued that morality is derived from reason and this reason is the origin of man’s morality, which he referred to as the Categorical Imperative. According to Kant, if this categorical imperative is defied, man becomes irrational and immoral. His logic consisted of inducing from people’s daily sensible knowledge of morality, which he referred to as practical reason, into metaphysical understanding. As Kant attempted to reorient an

Finally, the last field was logic which was the formal philosophy. Logic used material facts to define its mandate and argument. Some of the classifications in these fields include decision theory, probability theory and computability theory (Flew). Kant argues that if the philosophy comes from an experience it is considered as empirical. In this case, there is

In the Groundwork of the Metaphysics of Morals, Kant undermines many of our moral certainties. Our Western philosophical tradition teaches that choosing the right path to virtue is in ones own hands. Aristotle’s understanding of virtue comes from our moral bearings, which are taken from exemplars of virtue. Kant’s idea of morality is sought from a single individual. Only few people are universally accepted as this ideal conception of morality, such figures like Gandhi or Jesus. Kant believes that we cannot derive this idea of morality simply from examples of those around us but we can only decide morality from a specific principle. This notion of morality is rooted from an idea that is not used by most individuals. He has little faith in

Kant approaches morality based on a standard of rationality. Because an action is moral on account of its being reasoned, the moral worth of an action is determined by its motive, or the reason for the action, not by its consequences. We determine the worth of the motive behind any given moral action by asking whether we could turn that motive

Principle based, or rights-based, ethics emphasize the fact that the correct path is not determined by the consequences but by certain principles or duties. (DesJardins, 2014, p. 37). Therefore, Immanuel Kant's (1724–1804) moral theory is deontological: one's motivations are guided by a sense of duty rather than personal inclinations. The main principles of the metaphysics of morals are; we are ends in as human beings, ends in ourselves, and not to be used as mere means by others; respect for one’s own humanity involves respect for others; morality is itself identical with freedom, and acting immorally involves being enslaved

Kant believes that our moral judgment is right, just with the wrong reasons. Kant’s account of moral judgment is purely from reason. In the preface of “Groundwork for the Metaphysics of Morals” by Kant, Kant mentioned that “my aim here is directed