Kantian Moral Theory: A Critique
1. Introduction
Immanuel Kant, a great German philosopher of the 18th century, developed a moral theory which is still one of the most influential theories in contemporary philosophy. In his "Groundwork for the Metaphysics of Morals", Kant assumes that the good will is good in itself and should not be evaluated from the perspective of results it brings. This means that people should do something because it is their duty and not because they hope to gain something from it. Kant believes that moral duty is something that comes from reason and not from emotions. Reason is what makes us human beings and it should guide our actions. The categorical imperative is the basis of Kant’s moral theory. It is an absolute command that applies to everyone in every situation. It is not based on any personal preferences or desires. People should act in such a way that they can universalize their action, i.e. they should be able to will that everyone acts in the same way in similar circumstances.
2. Kantian Moral Theory
2.1 The Good Will
Kant believes that the good will is good in itself and does not need any further justification. He writes: "Now I maintain that in every practical case we ought to esteem the maxim of our action worthy of putting into practice, without looking to see whether some other purpose might not perhaps be more rationally achieved by some other procedure" (Kant, Groundwork, 4:394). This means that people should do something because it is their duty and not because they hope to gain something from it. The good will is the only thing that is good without qualification. All other things are good only insofar as they promote the good will. For example, pleasure is good insofar as it contributes to the well-being of the subject, but it is not good if it harms the subject or someone else. Similarly, knowledge is good insofar as it helps us achieve our goals, but it is not good if we use it for evil purposes.
2. 2 Moral Duty
Kant believes that moral duty is something that comes from reason and not from emotions. Reason is what makes us human beings and it should guide our actions. The categorical imperative is the basis of Kant’s moral theory. It is an absolute command that applies to everyone in every situation. It is not based on any personal preferences or desires. People should act in such a way that they can universalize their action, i.e. they should be able to will that everyone acts in the same way in similar circumstances. Kant writes: "It is therefore impossible to will that the principle of our actions should ever be directed to anything else than the universal good of all rationally willed beings" (Kant, Groundwork, 4:392). This means that we should always act in such a way that we can will that everyone acts in the same way. We should not act in such a way that we can only will that some people act in the same way and others do not.
2. 3 Categorical Imperative
The categorical imperative is the basis of Kant’s moral theory. It is an absolute command that applies to everyone in every situation. It is not based on any personal preferences or desires. People should act in such a way that they can universalize their action, i.e. they should be able to will that everyone acts in the same way in similar circumstances. Kant writes: "Now I maintain that in every practical case we ought to esteem the maxim of our action worthy of putting into practice, without looking to see whether some other purpose might not perhaps be more rationally achieved by some other procedure" (Kant, Groundwork, 4:394). This means that people should do something because it is their duty and not because they hope to gain something from it.
3. Criticism of Kantian Moral Theory
3.1 Rationality of Moral Duty
One criticism of Kant’s moral theory is that it is based on the rationality of moral duty. Critics argue that this is an unrealistic view of human nature. People are not always rational and they do not always act according to reason. Another criticism is that Kant’s view of morality is too abstract and does not take into account the complexities of real life situations.
3. 2 Categorical Imperative as an Unreasonable Demand
Another criticism of Kant’s moral theory is that the categorical imperative is an unreasonable demand. Critics argue that it is impossible for people to always act according to reason and universalize their actions. They also argue that it is impossible for people to always know what the right thing to do is.
4. Conclusion
Kant’s moral theory is one of the most influential theories in contemporary philosophy. It is based on the idea that the good will is good in itself and does not need any further justification. Kant believes that moral duty is something that comes from reason and not from emotions. The categorical imperative is the basis of Kant’s moral theory. It is an absolute command that applies to everyone in every situation. People should act in such a way that they can universalize their action, i.e. they should be able to will that everyone acts in the same way in similar circumstances. Kant’s view of morality is too abstract and does not take into account the complexities of real life situations. Critics also argue that the categorical imperative is an unreasonable demand.