Kant Categorical Imperative Essay Example for Free

Kant matt Imperative EssayKants Categorical Imperative is made up of two formulations, Formula of Universal Law and The Formula of the break in Itself. The first formulation is scoop up described by the following statement, Act only fit to that axiom whereby you can at the aforesaid(prenominal) time result that it should locomote a universal fair play without contradiction. (Kant, 1785, 1993). What does this mean? A maxim is the fundamental ordinance of conduct or your moral belief upon which you chose to act. A universal law is a law that every champion must follow regardless of the outcome. How do we even up if the maxim can become universal?One of the first things to do is to petition yourself if it would be accept open that every iodine do the same thing that you are considering doing in that situation. We were given several examples in The Elements of virtuous Philosophy and the one that made the most impact was suppose a man needs money, but no one will lend i t to him unless he promises to pay it back-which he knows he wont be able to do. Should he make a false promises to get the loan? (Rachels, 2012). If this happened the maxim or universal rule would be wholetime you need a loan prescribe a lie that you will repay it and you will get the loan.This is not something that everyone would be willing to do because you will no longer believe others when they tell you this statement and no one would be willing to make the loans. The second thing you should do to determine if the maxim can become universal is look at your answer to the first question. Did you say yes, I think that everyone will do it? . If so, then ask yourself if it makes rational sense to want everyone in the same situation to do what you are contemplating doing. If your answer was no to either question then your maxim cannot become universal law because it is not considered moral.Overall, based on Kant, an act is morally right only if the primal rule of behavior, which is how you decide to act morally, can constantly and universally relate to you and others. The second formulation is best described by the following statement, Act in such a way that you treat humanity, whether in your own psyche or in the person of any other, never merely as a means to an end, but always at the same time as an end. (Kant, 1785, 1993). Basically, this means that morality consists of doing your trade to treat people, including yourself, and an end, never as a means to an end.Kant combined the second formulation with the first because we digest a perfect duty to not use the humanity of ourselves or others merely as a means to some other end. Most ends are somewhat subjective because they need only be pursued if they are in line with some particular hypothetical imperative that a person may choose to adopt. (Categorical Imperative Explained, 2012). The second formulation also leads to the imperfect duty to further the ends of ourselves and others. If any person de sires perfection in themselves or others, it would be their moral duty to pursue that end for all people equally, so long as that end does not contradict perfect duty.The question of whether or not Kant adequately addresses the problems evident in comparison of the two formulations cannot be summed up with a ingenuous yes or no answer. He makes a good argument for both sides just as he opposes both sides. The difference is whether or not we have the right moral sense to determine why and how our decisions affect ourselves and others. Kant shows that you have struggles when rationality and practicality are conveyed to cover the same matter. So after all this we ask the question, How plausible is the theory? I think that it is a logical theory that clearly assists in devising decisions. It provides a plausible account of morality because you can look at others and have a drift to complete your actions based on those of others. Kantianism is a more consistent theory because it can b e universally applied to all. It is more believable because even if the penalties of carrying out an action arent necessarily the best, the individual is mute obligated to perform the action because it is their duty to do so.Kants theory focuses on the motivation of actions and has a clear and distinctive set of universal rules, and is morally sound. Consequently, ethically and morally they are doing the right thing. Bibliography Categorical Imperative Explained. (2012, April 12). Retrieved from Everything Explained http//everything. explained. at/categorical_imperative/ (1993). In J. W. Ellington, Grounding for the Metaphysics of virtuouss (p. 30). Hackett. Kant, I. (1785, 1993). Grounding for the Metaphysics of Morals 3rd ed.. . In J. W. Wllington.Hackett. Rachels, J. (2012). The Elements of Moral Philosophy. McGraw-Hill. Reason Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. (n. d. ). Retrieved from http//en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Reason Chicago Reason Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, http/ /en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Reason (accessed April 17, 2012). The Elements of Moral Philosophy. (n. d. ). Retrieved from http//jamesrachels. org/78improvedsentences. htm Chicago The Elements of Moral Philosophy, http//jamesrachels. org/78improvedsentences. htm (accessed April 17, 2012).