Manipulation

Paper Summary:

This paper examines Immanuel Kant's theory of manipulation and how the manipulation of one man by another, or a group of men by another, seems to be considered immoral, or less than moral, since the idea of manipulation is the assumption of some sort of power over others. It discusses how Kant believed that virtue is the term for opposing and resisting immorality within us. It attempts to answer the question of why a man manipulates others whether it be for power, for greed or for some sort of financial or political gain- an edge over others.

From the Paper:

"Kant makes his theory of ethics very clear. "What are the Ends which are also Duties? They are A. Our own perfection. B, Happiness of others." (Kant 1952 369) Perfection is an ideal which can never be truly reached of course. But, we can use the Hippocratic Oath as an example, which states "At least, do no harm." How can we provide3 happiness for others when, within our human make-up there continues to be the idea of manipulating for our own ends. The answer is simple- we need to look inward. One must remember the historic cry of Attorney Joseph Welch railing against Senator Joseph McCarthy: "Have you no shame?" We are, indeed, our brothers? keepers in the sense that thwarting their ambitions and the ends to which they strive does indeed degrade us. Means do matter toward an end. If there is one trait that Man has which no other animal possesses it is a conscience."

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• Book Review # 95832 : "Manipulation in "Macbeth"
• Persuasive Essay # 128662 : "Aspects of Genetic Manipulation"

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