Introduction to Philosophy Essays - Kantianism, Social Philosophy

Jonathon McNeil Introduction to Philosophy Fourth Writing Assignment In Immanuel Kants essay, Groundwork of the Metaphysic of Morals, Kant seeks to explain how his view of morality if different from the utilitarian. Kant says the morality of an action is independent of the consequences. According to the utilitarian, pleasure is the only intrinsic good. Kant on the other hand is not concerned with pleasure, because he does not see it as intrinsically good. Kant believes in what he refers to as the categorical imperative. The categorical imperative is the principle you can apply to any situation. He describes the categorical imperative as the formula of universal law. By forming the categorical imperative, we will know what to morally do in any situation. Kant explains, Act as if the maxim of your action were to become through your will a UNIVERSAL LAW OF NATURE. (511) Following on the categorical imperative Kant believes that good will is the only intrinsic good. This is Kants basic moral theory. As Kant explains, It is impossible to conceive anything at all in the world, or even out of it, which can be taken as good without qualifications, except a good will. Intelligence, wit, judgment, and any other talents of the mind we may care to name, or courage, resolution and constancy of purpose, as qualities of temperament, are without doubt good and desirable in many respects; but they can also be extremely bad and hurtful when the will is not good which has to make use of these gifts of nature, and which for this reason has the term character applied to its peculiar quality. (504) Kant has a different take on the golden rule. The golden rule usually reads as, Do unto others as you would have done unto you. Kant believes this involves emotional attachment. Kant gives an altered version of the golden rule that reads as, Treat other as you would rationally consent to be treated. Kant says, Yet I maintain that in such as case and action of this kind, however right and however amiable it may be, has still no genuinely moral worth. It stands on the same footing as other inclinations- for example, the inclination for honor, which if fortunate enough to hit on the something beneficial and right and consequently honorable, deserves praise and encouragement, but not esteem; for its maxim lacks moral content, namely the performance of such actions, not from inclination, but from duty. (506) Kant explains the categorical imperative. According to Kant a will is ones decision making faculty. The goodness of ones will lie in the will and not the results that the will produced. Kant believes that the will is the only way for evaluating the morality of an action. Kant believes that our emotions are not the correct determinate for moral judgment. The three moral absolutes Kant discusses are: never lie, always help others, and never waste you talents. One hypothetical example would be if the world was coming to an end and the parent or guardian told the child everything would be alright. Kant would argue this would be inappropriate because your maxim should be to never tell a lie. Most people would are that lying to comfort a child is the proper thing to do. This is a lying promise is a good example of why Kants moral theory does not offer enough flexibility. This is a good example because emotions are needed to reason morality. Humans need to have proper emotions to respond appropriately to things. If the utilitarian was to respond to this example, they would say that the end result was not a positive thing and the good will involve did not help the situation. Word count 621