Essays on Immanuel Kant

Compare Aristotle with Kant, Rawls, and the utilitarians. Which theory offers us the most successful theory of justice?

The essence of justice is a massively studied model. With the help of different social sciences, head scholars continue to reflect on the field and outline of what appears to bear a visionary semblance but whose versions in time of history has often taken different perspectives. An equiparation of the versions of justice in main disciplines of psychology, legal studies, philosophy, economic studies, and sociology, for example, show only very insular convergence lines. An analysis of Aristotle’s interpretation of justice in comparison with Victorian principles and later on in the works of Kant, Rawls and utilitarians and other contemporary thoughts ...

Little progress has been made so far in demystifying the controversy of judging the criterion of what is right or wrong. Since the dawn of philosophy, the question of the “summum bonum” or the greatest good concerning morality. The question has resulted in division into sects and schools warning against each other and is recognized as the core problem when thinking speculatively.

According to the Kantian theory, the basis of defining good or bad is based on the will or the intention behind the action. There is nothing impossible to think of in the world or outside it ...

Such a remarkable statement of Immanuel Kant,” one should always treat humanity, whether in oneself or in another, always as an end and never merely as a means. ” In addition, he argued, “the highest good is a good will.” The latter implies that to act from a good will is to act from duty. Kant’s formulation of the Categorical Imperative (CI) has a profound sense that hits every human core of thoughts. It would be necessary to exemplify this matter with the association with his approach in the business world to understand the profoundness of his formulated CI deeply. For ...

Immanuel Kant was known for his philosophical views and principles. The definition of human dignity according to Kant is where human beings can act independently from others. The ability of one who can act independently from others can reason and rationally develop their thoughts are, according to Kant is given respect Gentzler (890). Viewing human being as capable and rational beings is a worthy position.

Respect should be at the forefront of human behavior and interaction. When you show respect for another person, you demonstrate that your level of morality is good. When you act in the opposite manner and ...

Kant’s theory of morality centers on the role of moral duty in determination of human decisions. The theory advocated for the treatment of others as an end rather than just a means or tool. It further establishes that a person’s actions initiate from the maxims that lie deep within that person. These maxims are indicators of one’s intentions. The theory describes the use of an individual as a sheer means to an unrelated end. This is whereby one seeks to achieve some objective that the person being used is unaware of its existence. This, as per the theory, is ...

Annotated Bibliography

Grosch, P., Large, W., Wenham, D., Appleton, J., Astley, J., Fiddes, P., & Hick, J. (n.d.). Kant's Categorical Imperative. This article talks about the authors’ view concerning Kant’s Categorical Imperative. Grosch claims that people are free and rational agents that have the ability to formulate maxims that guide the moral lives. The authors also state that that it depends on the people to offer moral content. As long as the people are ready to submit to the maxim to test the moral law and discard them if they seem not to follow it and confirm ...

Good Will and Happiness in the Society

- Define the term categorical imperative and give at least three examples of categorical imperatives that you believe in.

According to the Kantian moral psychology, he holds that the categorical imperative is the fundamental principle of our moral duties. A categorical imperative refers to the moral command or obligation that is universally and unconditionally binding for all members of a given society. The Kantian moral philosophy believes that members of the society treat each other in a manner that they would also wish to be treated (MacKinnon, 2013). The categorical imperative, or command, therefore, guides the morality of human beings since ...

Throughout the history of Western civilization, people have asked themselves questions about how to lead their lives and achieve happiness. Major philosophers have debated this idea, arguing for different ways of orienting their lives, commenting and criticizing their precursors in the process. Two of the most important of these thinkers were Aristotle and Immanuel Kant, who both drafted different ethical theories, while staying within the boundaries of what is considered standard in the Western philosophical tradition. Specific differences in their contexts lead to major dissimilarities in their theories. However, both theories have aspects which may be considered correct, and ...

Introduction

“Critique of Judgment " is a fundamental work of Kant which develops aesthetic theory. This work is divided into two parts: The Critique of Aesthetic Judgment and The Critique of Teleological Judgment. The book also contains an overview of the entire Critic system of the author. In the “Critique of Judgment” Kant explores the reflective power of judgment which is manifested, in particular, in the judgment of taste or aesthetic judgments. Aesthetic pleasure, according to Kant, is pure (disinterested) pleasure derived from an object. Therefore, the aesthetic should be distinguished from the feeling of pleasure. Kant stated that although ...

The ancestor of classical German philosophy Immanuel Kant (1724-1804) during the early period of the activity dealt with issues of natural sciences much and made the hypothesis of the origin and developments of the solar system. This philosophical system is the compromise between materialism and idealism. Materialistic tendencies in Kant's philosophy affect that he recognizes the existence of objective reality, things out of us. Kant teaches that there are the "transcendental objects" which are not depending on the learning subject. If Kant consistently carried out this look, it would come to materialism. But in contradiction with this materialistic ...

The ethical theory proposed by the great German philosopher Emmanuel Kant is centered on three dimensions- goodwill, moral worth and duty. Possession of goodwill is the primary requirement of achieving morality. Goodness of one's action is not defined by its goal, reason, means and the expected desirable effects, but is solely determined by its nature. Therefore, certain actions such as theft, cheating, and murder are prohibited even if these actions will hinder man from gaining more happiness since they are naturally immoral. Moral worth is achieved only if the actions are governed by goodwill alone. Actions will not ...

Throughout history, philosophers have often clashed heads in regards to the definition and understanding of the human self. Many have formulated a myriad of theories that attempt to decipher the true meaning and motivations of the human self. Two of the moist prolific philosophers of the exploration of this aspect were Immanuel Kant and Ralph Waldo Emerson. Emerson was an American philosopher born and raised in Massachusetts. On the other hand, Kant lived in an earlier era and was German by birth. It was Kant’s original transcendental deductions that later acted as an influence to the New England Transcendentalism ...

INTRODUCTION

The issue of if animals have the same sentience and morality of humans is a topic that has been greatly debated throughout history. Many philosophers and scientists have weighed in to try and find the answer to this age-old question. Singer has explicit views on the relative sentience of animals and morality of the ways in which human beings use animals, and those views often come into conflict with the ways that human beings interact with non-human animals in various societies. Singer defines sentience as “the capacity to experience episodes of positively or negatively valenced awarenesses” (Singer). Positive sentience would ...

Ethics can be examined in many different manners, however, Kant’s model of ethics presents a framework to explain how people perceive ethics through reward and punishment. Kant feels that the only way to truly understand ethics is to experience a variety of ethical dilemmas and learn to solve them through emotional stimulus. Kant’s concept of moral obligation is that there is a priori concept of our minds. This essentially removes God as the basis for morality, and argues that we have free-will in regards to our own moral compass. Kant argues that ethics are learned throughout the course of ...

The debate over abortion has been raging for quite some time in our culture. In recent times, one observes that abortions have become commonplace. Most supporters primarily argue with respect to autonomy and women’s rights with respect to abortion. On the other hand, the pro-life supporters argue with the fact that the act of abortion results in the killing of a fetus. Since the act of killing is morally and ethically despicable, pro-life supporters use this argument as a foundation. On a moral basis too, Kantian ethics renders abortion as an immoral act for a number of different reasons. The primary reason, ...

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Social Contract Theory: Social Contract Theory was founded by Thomas Hobbes, a renowned English philosopher. According to this theory, the moral and political obligations of individuals depend upon an agreement (contract) among them for the formation of the society they belong to. The purpose of this contract is the establishment of a constitutional act for keeping the political body subordinate to moral values. Hobbes believes that social contract makes it possible for human beings to continue their survival on this planet. He maintained that by contracting socially, men surrender their inherent liberties for enjoying the safety and ...

Humor provokes laughter. Most people from all backgrounds have a sense of humor since they can experience laughter. The extent to which one finds something to be humorous mainly depends on their culture, level of maturity, intelligence and educational background. There are other forms of humor that appeal to adults such as satire since they can only be humorous when the audience understands the context. Humor is, therefore, relative from one individual to another. People who do not seem to have self- interest seem to interest people, who see their actions as humorous. People easily relate to humor since ...

Best friend: (After hitting down and killing an old woman due to careless driving). You must promise not tell anyone about this incident. Kant: A hit and run dilemma must involve an unlawful driving practice where the person liable for perpetrating or partaking in the accident declines to stop and assume accountability as required by the law. As opposed to adhering to the recommended procedure after such a misfortune or acting as recourse for any affected victim. Hume: In your scenario, a hit and run incident arises since your colleague was accountable for the accident but decided to abscond ...

Introduction

Objectification of women is a trend that is coming up in the entertainment industry especially in movies, music videos, music and television. This development seems to be affecting women more than men. The wave of women stereotypes is dangerous for the society because it is bound to affect how men and women relate to each other and promote unhealthy habits in the masses that are exposed to such incorrect media representation of women. This issue is especially tricky to handle because it is evident that the more the media depicts women as sexual objects, the more viewers seem to be ...

‘The offering, giving, receiving, or soliciting of something of value for the purpose of influencing the action of an official in the discharge of his or her public or legal undertakings’ is the legal definition of bribery. China is ranked position 80 out of 178 countries in terms of corruption; this vice is rampant and pervades way for the fast growing economy of the country. China is one of the most developed countries and it’s on its way to achieving the super power status and high economic growth in the next one decade. However, if bribery and corruption ...

Philosophy

The field related to artificial intelligence and cognitive robotics is called artificial consciousness or machine consciousness or even synthetic consciousness. This field was formed with the purpose to "define that which would have to be synthesized were consciousness to be found in an engineered artifact". When different parts of the brains, which are named neural correlates of consciousness of the NCC, interoperate then they generate consciousness, as defined by the hypothesis of neuroscientists. There exist various supporters of artificial consciousness who are of the belief that the possibility of constructing machines, for instance computer systems, which follow the interoperation ...

Universal Ethics is a set of values that apply to all humans, whether religious or secular, independent from any particular faith. The compilation of Universal Ethics is not a base for a new religion. In precise, it does not say anything about liturgical or philosophical notions of any categories. That means that it does not elucidate the existence of the Universe with inclusion of a man’s existence. It does not suggest any precise ritual in addition it does not deal with the concept of God. It does not contain any stories, myths, or absolute doctrines. Most significantly, Universal Ethics does not prescribe ...

Philosophy

Mill vs. Kant on Ethics and Free Markets

Introduction

Philosophy provides a framework for politics and economics. When approaching the subject of free markets, the viewpoints of Immanuel Kant and John Stuart Mill were divergent. Their philosophical viewpoints flow out of the ethics of deontology and utilitarianism.

The ethics of utilitarianism is built upon the framework of maximizing benefits to all members of society (Shaw 41). John Stuart Mill, a proponent of utilitarianism, propounded the moral corollary that “society ought not to interfere with people’s liberty when their actions affect only themselves (Shaw 19). Therefore, utilitarianism translates to free market economics ...

Discrimination in the workplace can come in many different forms ranging from sex, race, color, religion, gender reassignment or even sexual orientation . According to Kant, discrimination in the workplace is argued to be morally wrong and by the appeal to the considerations of justice. According to his argument, for the reason that it treats individuals as the means to whatever social reasons the discrimination is meant to serve and not as ends. This view in Kantians serves for both sexists and racists times of bad old age discrimination and the socially progressive times of “reverse discrimination” which involve ...

At the center of feminist theory is the notion of objectification. Generally defined objectification is seeing and treating an individual as an object or a tool for use. Objectification has mostly been defined in relation to women than to men. Sexual objectification occurs in the context of sexuality. In the pornography debate, it’s been argued by anti-pornography feminists that, by men consuming pornography, women as a whole are reduced to the level of mere objects for use by men. Traditionally the view has been that only women can be sexually objectified, however, feminist authors Naomi wolf and Christina Hoff observe ...

J.S. Mill versus Immanuel Kant dilemma There has been little notable progress so far in determining the controversy of judging the criterion of wrong and right. Among the facts presented about the present state of human knowledge, the controversy’s state is most indicative significant of the outdated state in which making theories of the relevant subject still lingers. So far, it proves how much little progress exists. Since the dawn of philosophy, the question of the “summum bonum", (the greatest good) concerning morality has caused its division into schools and sects warning against each other, and is ...

This is my position regarding the chapter 9 Are there absolute moral rules? in the book ‘The Elements of Moral Philosophy’. It has an elaborate discussion on absolute moral values analyzing the situations from World War II period. Harry Truman justified his decision to drop atom bombs in Japan, telling that he thought that would end the war. Elizabeth Anscombe, one of the greatest woman philosophers and non-consequentialist, mentioned that Truman should be regarded as a murderer, arguing the point some things may not be done no matter what. Immanuel Kant, another non-consequentialist, brings forth hypothetical and categorical imperatives, opining ...

Two different moral philosophies, utilitarianism and Kant’s categorical imperative are utilized for analyzing whether J.’s action of embezzling her employer was correct, even if the end was to provide a better private tuition for her son. The utilitarianism philosophy is based on the principle of doing the greatest good for the biggest amount of individuals, while being free from pain and engaging in pleasure (Mill 220). However, the utilitarianism ethics provides that there should be clearly specified between simple, animal pleasures, and elevated pleasures, of which individuals with high intellectual capacities are capable. In this sense, Mill ( ...

The theories of both Immanuel Kant and John Stuart Mill have played an important role in framing conceptions of modern philosophical theories. Although most modern philosophers have critiqued these theories, they are still important since they form the very basis of philosophical understanding and thought. This essay will summarize, reflect on and respond to the theories of Utilitarianism by John Stuart Mill as well as the Deontological theory by Immanuel Kant.

Utilitarianism

John Stuart Mill’s utilitarian thought is heavily characterized by classical liberalism and positivism and is a ‘consequentialist’ theory. The utilitarian theory is a principle which believes that a right or ...

Philosophy and Social Issues

German philosopher, Immanuel Kant, is primarily known for is philosophical work on the study of ethics. What sets him apart from other philosophers on this subject is that rather than judge individuals themselves, he instead looks at the subjects of “right” and “wrong” as separate entities in order to suggest the best way for people to behave. Kant grew tired of people acting immorally based on their idea that the ends would justify the means. He believed in deontology, which suggests that moral judgment resides in the act itself and the ends do not justify the means. There is ...

Categorical imperative is the key concept to Kant’s deontological moral philosophy. By definition, in critical philosophy, the categorical imperative establishes an unconditional and an absolute necessity that that has no exceptions, and it is universally justified. In addition to the above, categorical imperative is vindicated as an end to itself, and not a means to some supplementary end. Apparently, Kant attaches lots of significances to the idiom “categorical imperative the two words that were formulated to make up the concept have implications. Based on Kant’s notions, human beings are a special part of the creation, derived from the ...

Kant’s moral absolutism is an ethical view that actions are either right or wrong based on categorical imperative. In this case, the moral or lack of it is on the act itself other than the consequences. Kant views are opposed to consequentialism and teleological approaches in ethics. Kant uses the ability of humans to act rationally to develop his arguments. A rational human being is able to control one’s desires or impulses and hence, is able to act out of the principle and moral duties. The question arises whether there is such absolutism. Are there actions that ...

There are fundamental differences and similarities between Utilitarianism and Kantianism. This paper seeks to evaluate the similarities and the difference between the two. First, Kant’s theory is exclusively rational in approach while Mill tends to avoid exclusiveness and uses intuitiveness (Comparison of Kant and Mill,” n.d ). Utilitarianism presumes that morality and happiness have link that gives humans’ intuitions. On the other hand, Kantianism holds morality against morality. In particular, Kant ethics are anchored on categorical imperatives; the universal principle that is applicable to all reasonable human beings. Actions ought to lead to universal laws and if, the ...

Answer to philosophy questions

Judgments especially on the analytical realm, call for predicates that are wholly held in their given subjects. It relates to the fact that they never add any value to the given postulated idea of the prospective subject. It, therefore, brings out the absolute explicative nature of the latter and might be derived from the renowned non-contradiction guidelines. Those judgments that stem from the synthetic realm, in line with their own consideration relate to those with predicates that possess a unique stance from their given subjects. However, their predicates are always assumed to relate due to some genuine association with other ...

Humankind has long asked itself how to live correctly. Since Aristotle, philosophers have examined what it means to do good and act correctly. As such, many different theories have tried to conceptualize about these controversial subjects, providing guidance as how to determine what choices one should take when presented with an ethical problem. While many times these theories regard the same course of action as correct, even if they do not share the same reasoning to reach this conclusion, sometimes their principles lead them to differ with respects to what doing good would imply. This is the case of a ...

- Socrates takes this to mean that the Oracle meant that no man is wise because all men do not know that they do not know. Therefore, Socrates refuses to accept that he is the wisest because if he did, he would have implied that he was wise, whereas he knew that he was not. Socrates believes that his source of knowledge is self examination and introspective assessment of one’s thoughts, characteristics, emotions, and actions. Socrates believes in distributing of wisdom to others, making goodness come first while wealth follows it, which he advised the Citizens of Athens ...

Introduction and thesis statement

Human action and society have been molded upon generations of interaction between past inhabitants of this planet. It is upon this richness and growth that practices are recognized as best practices or as out-rightly wrong. The presence of such guiding principles is useful in leading of the present organized lives that we enjoy. In this progression, philosophy has played a key role in formulating principles or guidelines upon which we can understand our actions, their implications, their motivation and the interdependence between various actions. The formulation of philosophies such as utilitarianism has acted as a base upon which philosophers can examine ...

"Thus a good will constitute the indispensable condition of being even worthy of happiness" (Kant, p. 7). According to the Kantian philosophy, good will refers to the only thing in the society that is universally good. He further describes good will by reason, and reason must be a universally accepted law in the society, which is universally applicable to all members of the society. Kant indicates that nothing in or beyond the world can possibly be considered as good without the qualification of good will, which implies that a good thing must be universally acceptable in the society. According to this ...

Philosophy

1. According to Kant what is the difference between hypothetical and categorical imperatives? Why must moral imperatives always be categorical? How would Kant use this distinction to criticize ethical egoism and utilitarianism. According to Immanuel Kant (1724-1804), the difference between hypothetical imperative and categorical imperative is that the former refers to precepts and actions that only have conditional worth required to attain a desired objective; whereas, the latter refers to a universal moral principle of human conduct that is not limited by any condition in the determination of one’s duty. For Kant, the only one categorical imperative is: “Act ...

Introduction

Michael Doyle is one of the most outstanding scholar international relations. In his famous work on liberalism and international politics, Doyle seeks to re-examine the belief that authorities or government founded on individual liberty formulate and implement foreign policies that are restraint and peaceful (Fearon 577). In efforts to give a theoretical explanation of the world politics, Doyle examines three types of liberalism, that is, liberal pacificism as attributed by Schumpeter, liberal imperialism by Machiavelli and liberal internationalism as developed by Immanuel Kant (Doyle 1152).

Liberalism and International Politics

Liberal pacificism Liberal pacificism lacks a canonical description. Hence, the theory is resembled to a family ...

Kant is a philosopher known for his contribution in psychological fields; aesthetics, ethics, sociology, psychology, religion, culture among others. He has had many followers whom he has impacted in their works and is reflected through many psychological ideas his followers put across. Focusing on Ivan, his basic principles in psychology seem to have roots opposing Kantian’s philosophy. As much as Kant would argue Ivan’s ideas being logical but contradicting, Ivan argues that Kant’ ideas are morally flawed. Notably, Ivan does not oppose Kant’s philosophy, but still, he does not uphold the “moral evil” as Kant does (Michalson ...

Business Ethics Assignment Ryanair

Introduction In today’s competitive environment, every organization wants to earn as much profit as they can by entering and exploiting not only resources from the domestic country but also from country across the globe. Ryanair was established with a share capital of only £1 as well as the staff of 25 by the Ryan family (Ryanair, 2014). Ryanair is recognized as being the only ULCC (ultra-low cost carrier) within Europe, operating over 1,600 flights every day (more than 500,000 every year) from 57 bases, all through 1,600 low cost routes, linking 180 different destinations within ...

In the “Critique of Practical Reason " Kant sets forth his theory of ethics. Practical reason, in Kant's doctrine, is the only source of the principles of moral conduct. Kantian ethics is autonomous. Its autonomy means independence of moral principles from non-moral reasons. The benchmark of Kantian ethics lies not in the actual behavior of people, but in the norms arising from "pure" moral. According to Kant, duty is the source of universal moral standards. Categorical imperative is the central concept of Kant`s ethical theory. Imperative is a rule that contains an "objective compulsion to act ". The moral law ...

Kant’s theory focuses on the associations between an individual and those around him. More specifically, it seeks to show that morality is based on how an individual chooses to associate with such people. The use of deceit and coercion for purposes of personal gain is immoral. This is because this is an avenue for abuse of these relations and hence use of other’s skills and assistance for personal gain only. However, the theory also acknowledges that it is ethical to associate with others in a truthful and mutually beneficial manner. This requires some degree of honesty about the ...

AND JEREMY BENTHAM

Facilitator’s Name AND JEREMY BENTHAM

Introduction

Jeremy Bentham and Immanuel Kant were the two famous philosophers, who elucidated the criterion for evaluating human actions. Jeremy Bentham introduced the concept of assessing actions through the intensity of happiness it produces to the highest number of people; a notion that is based on utilitarianism. On the contrary, Immanuel Kant expounded the same through Categorical Imperative. Moral rightness of a decision according to Bentham’s Consequentialist Utilitarian theory is defined by the outcomes it produces, while Kant focuses on the moral rightness of the action. This paper will highlight the major similarities and ...

Background

Tricia is CEO of Able Again, which is a non-profit organization: it partners with a for-profit organization for the manufacture of low-cost adapted motorized scooters for the disabled. She as requested advice from her ethics consultant regarding issues facing her company. She has heard about ethical theories, which typically provide conflicting opinion. She wants her ethics consultant to compare and contrast them, with examples and in the context of her company’s issues. Her chief concern is to persuade her board about the advantages of being ethical in business practices. Secondly, she wants to learn a lesson from Ford Pinto case. ...

The topic on the existence of God is perhaps one of the most equivocal topics that have generated an immense debate amongst various population segments all around the globe. In fact, this topic has evolved into one of the most contentious topics all over the globe. Notably, there exists various arguments postulated regarding the existence of God. Nonetheless, the ontological argument devised by Anselm on Gods existence is perhaps one of the most substantive arguments that support that notion on Gods existence. Anselm’s argument on God’s existence asserts that Gods existence is indeed true based on the ...

The primary role of ethics is to ensure a balance in which a person makes decisions and acts in such a way that maximizes benefits and minimizes harm for self and others. In this regard, the different perspectives of individuals in a society are unified towards a common goal of how each person ought to act. Since each person has different perceptions of right or wrong and good or bad, a standard to limit the relative nature of ethics is necessary, which is provided by either a spiritual or a secular philosophical background. In the plurality aspect of ethics, spiritual and secular ethics require different approaches ...

[Client’s Name] [Client’s Professor] [Client’s Subject] 2. One day you receive the following letter:

I am in the process of putting together a must-read list of great philosophers. Some of the works that have been recommended to me are Plato’s Phaedo, Descartes’ Meditations, Berkeley’s Three Dialogues, Kant’s Prolegomena, and Schlick’s “Positivism and Realism.” I understand that you have recently studied these works in depth, and I would value your opinion. Please choose one of these works and tell me whether you think its philosophical content justifies putting it on my ...

Philosophy

Dr. Immanuel Reuter Kant (1724-1804), the greatest Enlightenment philosopher, developed what is to be called Kantian Ethics (a deontological philosophy that was named after him). His ethical philosophy contains his Categorical Imperative or the ethical principle that human behavior should be determined by duty or the moral obligation that is innately in them to follow no matter what the consequences are (Johnson). Additionally, Kant regards individuals’ goodwill or innately worthy actions to do good in all circumstances no matter what the repercussions would be because that is precisely what is morally good them and the world at large. He insisted ...

Being versus appearance is no doubt one among the most notable questions of philosophy (Russell 11). Being and appearance takes a center stage because it is a question that, by extension, touches on the two most critical questions of philosophy – the existence of God, and human existence, also referred to as Existentialism (Arendt 34). The question has been tackled by various philosophers, most notably by Plato, Rene Descartes, Aristotle and Immanuel Kant. The question of being versus appearance, also known as appearance versus reality has not found a universally acceptable answer, despite the fact that may philosophers – both ancient and modern have ...

Introduction

The glory of God and his handiwork can be well shown by the creation of the heavens and the firmament thus the divine revelation. However, this can also include the human personality since human beings are also God’s creatures. Thus the creation works and the light of creation do manifest the goodness, the wisdom and the power of God. Nevertheless, man is not sufficient and cannot give the knowledge and the will which is necessary for salvation. The two terms i.e. reason and revelation appear to be contradictory to many people. Reason can be seen to be ...

Immanuel Kant claims that good will is good without any qualification, implying that good will is good regardless of the results of its action. He held that what makes a person good is his possession of the will that in a certain way makes decisions based on the moral law. J.S. Mill who is a utilitarian philosopher is quite opposed to this idea and focuses primarily on the consequences of an action to justify its moral uprightness. Mill holds persons, actions, and institutions need to be assessed based on how well they promote the human happiness. Mills approach to morality is superior ...

INTRODUCTION

The form of writings that Kant writes do not portray full explanation on the subject of discussion in a clear straight forward way. In this particular writing-The Foundation of the Metaphysics of Morals, Kant fails to explain the significant and major differences in his personal claims. The subject of this article has not been assigned a clear distinction between empirical and a priori knowledge of the same (R. J. 1994). In place of famous and ancient philosophers, Kant uses principle of charity to win people’s general perception about ethics hence the method of interpretation can be described as very weak. ...

Utilitarian ethics are associated with John Stuart Mill, and the central premise of utilitarianism is that the rightness or wrongness of an action is determined by the goodness or badness of their consequences. It is regarded to as the Greatest Happiness Principle, and it forms the basis of morals in utilitarianism. Therefore, an action is moral if it brings out the best consequences. This means where there is maximum happiness. On the other hand, deontological ethics are mainly associated with Immanuel Kant and are commonly regarded to as Kantian ethics. Deontological ethics put emphasis on the significance of reason ...

Immanuel Kant was a great philosopher during his time and has continued to be a prominent thinker in the realm of theology, history, and epistemology. He also one of the latter thinkers of the Enlightment and expanded the traditional thoughts on metaphysics by presenting sound arguments on topics such as law and history, and formulating moral values and philosophy. However, Emanuel Kant excluded religion in his philosophical ideas. Prior to the development of his philosophical theories, the ethical theories that existed were majorly based on the teachings of Greek philosophical thinkers such as Socrates and Aristotle. However, Kant was keen to ...

Philosophy

What is the distinction between hypothetical imperatives and categorical ones, and why is morality associated with categorical imperatives? Immanuel Kant’s (1724-1804) Foundations of the Metaphysics of Morals (1785) is a critical examination of the supreme principle of morality based on a priori (reason) knowledge rather than a posteriori (empirical) truths. He argued that his duty ethics is based on pure reason using a moral rule, which defines ultimate practical moral principles. He then distinguished between hypothetical and categorical ones such that the former is about actions that “represent the practical necessity of a possible action as to something else;” whereas, the latter ...

Immanuel Kant argues that he is enacting a Copernicus Revolution in Philosophy following his introduction of an absolute construction that brought an end to the differences between empiricists and rationalists. Indeed, Kant employs metaphoric language for in essence he refers to the effect his works has on philosophy. These effects are equated to the effects Nicolas Copernicus’s works had on astronomy. Indeed, Kant’s approach is seminal for it influences the direction in philosophy and lays the ground for future thinking. He argues convincingly of the central role the brain plays in the human thought processes. Kant advances the ...

Kant’s moral theory, as many find it, is not only complicated to understand but also is impractical and its appearing as a substitute to utilitarianism is one main reason behind its popularity. Kant moral theory is all about looking into things that should be done without considering any consequences of the act. This paper discusses Kant moral theory and related aspects of the subject matter. Kant’s theory suggests doing things that are morally right even if they are going to bring unhappiness. Deontological nature of Kant’s moral theory advocates absoluteness which supports universal idea of ethic. ...

Absoluteness refers to equal truth value in each structure of some classes. Immanuel Kant, in his ethical theory, describes that actions performed by human can be good only when they are for maximum good. The principle of Kant theory is a duty towards moral law which is categorical imperative. Moral law is applicable on all individuals irrespective of their desires. Kant Moral theory supports universal rational regardless of different situations. According to Kantian ethical theory, if anything is wrong, it remains wrong in all circumstances irrespective of positive or negative results. Kant theory does not support bad actions to yield ...