Kant and Ethics

Paper Summary:

In this article, the writer notes that Immanuel Kant's theory of ethics is grounded in deontological principles. In such theories, rules are of utmost significance in deciding a moral dilemma. However, the writer points out that Kant was not an ordinary deontologist and he was in fact highly critical of ethical theories and moral philosophies that preceded his work. His theory is known as critical theory because of the errors that Kant identified in theories presented by previous thinkers. Kant's ethical theory begins with the definition of good will. The writer agrees with Kant that one must be autonomous in his moral decisions and act only if he feels that such a law is universal in nature.

From the Paper:

"Moving ahead with this, he explained that good will was not bound by duty. In other words, while duty might compel many people to have a good will but a genuine good will should never be dependent on duty. When something is dependent on something else, there is always room for personal desires, prejudices and biases taking over. But a genuine good will is something that stays closely connected with one's personal sense of morality and is neither governed by a sense of duty nor by conventional morality. However since man has his limitations and is often moved by his personal desires, duty is the only thing that would force him to act on good will and good will alone. This is an interesting paradox but one that is largely based on reason. Ideally, good will should be free of duty but man cannot attain good will without having some law or sense of duty binding him to act on it."

Sample of Sources Used:

• H. J. Paton, The Categorical Imperative: A Study in Kant's Moral Philosophy (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1948)
• Timmons, Mark, (ed.) Kant's Metaphysics of Morals: Interpretative Essays, Oxford University Press, 2002
• Kant, Immanuel. Groundwork of the Metaphysics of Morals. Translated by H. J. Paton. New York: Harper and Row, 1964

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