Kant

To act out of duty is a noble quality and those who do are commended and rewarded even if they are inclined to do something else. This was a belief that was propagated by the 18th century philosopher Immanuel Kant. Kant was an intellectual his entire life and as a result believed in reason unconditionally. He substituted god with reason in his own mind. He believed that mankind was “immature” and wanted them think for themselves. Kant was a mathematician and thus like Plato believed in the absolutes of mathematics. Absolutes would be made from reason. Reason would produce a moral system or good will that was similar to Plato’s. Good will according to Kant was the only thing that “can possible be conceived which could be called good without qualification”(141). He claimed that the good will was good because it was good of itself. It is higher than any emotional inclination one has towards a situation. Despite Kant’s belief in reason, he thought, “Reason is not, however competent to guide the good will safely”(143). He believed that only way to take care of one’s good will is through duty. Kant says we must take care of the good will, as it is the most important part of man. He uses a serious of maxims and conditions that duty must obey in order to fulfill such good will Kant believed that good will and as a result moral credit could be achieved via duty. He laid out the proposition that “to have moral worth, an action must be done from duty”(143). If one acts from an inclination, and the result would be the same, they would not receive any moral credit. Kant’s mathematic background is evident here as he makes sure that only one must only act from duty and get the result and not from any form of inclination. He does note that it sis difficult to separate whether one performs a certain action from duty or inclination as “it is far more difficult to note this difference when the action is in accordance with duty and in addition the subject has a direct inclination to do it”(144). An example that Kant gives is of a merchant. If the merchant is doing his duty he would not overcharge anyone and all would be charged the same. Thus every customer is treated sincerely and equally. However the difficulty is finding out whether the merchant is doing this from duty or whether he feels inclined to do so in fear of losing any customers. The mindset and intent of the merchant is key to understanding whether the merchant is acting out of duty or an inclination Kant believed heavily in the principles of duty. He was convinced that the intent of an individual was all it took to produce good will. He believed than “an action done from duty does not have its moral worth in purpose which is to be achieved but in the maxim by which it is determined”(145). Kant would thus only give an individual moral credit if one’s intent were true to one’s duty. Thus if one does a noble deed out of self-interest, they are not morally virtuous. However if one fails to fulfill a deed done out of duty, one would receive full credit from Kant. It’s the though that counts and if one’s thoughts are true to their duty, then they will be producing and maintaining their good will. The example of a man drowning is a perfect way to illustrate Kant’s ideas. If one decides to save the man hoping for a reward, then one is not going to be producing any good will. On the other hand, if one attempts to save the man’s life out of duty but fails they will still be producing Kant further explains good will by introducing the concepts of categorical and practical imperative. Categorical imperative is a rule established by Kant that is based on universal law. It is based on pure reason alone and does not allow one to act out of feelings, emotions or other sensibilities. Kant believed that one must “act as though the maxim of your actions were by your will to become a universal law of nature”(154). This is given special credence to moral rules. Crimes like lying and killing to both oneself as well is to others is wrong. Kant gives may examples but the most important is arguably the example of suicide. A man contemplating suicide is thinking such because he believed that if he lives on, he would have “more evil than satisfaction”(155). He is committing suicide on the principle of self-love. However it would contradict one’s duty of improving life by destroying it and thus the “maxim cannot obtain as a law of nature and thus it wholly contradict the supreme principle of duty” Kant goes on now to explain the principle of practical imperative that is essential to fulfill one’s duty. Kant believed in the enlightenment principle of equality and liberty it seems as he believed that one should “act so that you treat humanity, whether in your own person or in that of another, always as an end and never as a means”(159). Kant believed in fair play and thought that if one does not use people in order to obtain one’s goals or seek an edge or unfair advantage. Is fulfilling his duty and promoting good will. Returning to the example of suicide, Kant believed that when one destroy themselves, they are in fact using someone (themselves) as means or a tool to kill themselves. A person, “however is not a thing and thus not something to be used merely as a means, he must always be regarded in all his actions so as an end to himself”(159). Thus one should preserve their own life, as it is sacred. In conclusion, it can be said that Kant points out like the stoics before him on how to live a pure and rational life. In theory, his ideas seem logical and understandable, but in practicality, they are numerous situations where such theories will not work, as they are a number of variables that can never be accounted for. That does not mean, one should dismiss Kant’s philosophy on life, indeed it is a philosophy that thread a path of moderation that we in the 21st century could use. Today, more than ever one needs to act of duty and not personal inclinations in order to create a world where all are rewarded. Johnson, Reath. Ethics: Selection from Classic and Contemporary Writers. Ohio: Cengage Learning, 2004.