Kant’s Categorical Imperative
Immanuel Kant was a German philosopher remembered for his influence on ethics. Ethics is the philosophical study of moral actions. There are two particular ways of thinking regarding ethics: consequentialism and deontology. Consequentialism divides right and wrong entirely based on the consequences of an action - the end justifies the means. Deontology is the position arguing that consequences do not matter because moral judgement is based on the act alone, not the consequences. Kant was a deontologist and developed an unbreakable moral code that he called the “Categorical Imperative”. Kant characterized the Categorical Imperative as an objective, rationally necessary, and unconditional principle that people must …show more content…
Kant’s Categorical Imperative emphasizes “the importance of rationality, consistency, impartiality, and respect for persons in the way we live our lives. If Kant is correct that moral absolutes cannot be violated, then he prevents any loopholes, self-serving exceptions, and personal biases in the determination of our duties” (Anscombe). The Categorical Imperative does well in preventing loopholes, self-serving exceptions, and personal biases, however, in doing that, it does not properly address areas that need an exception. For example, if a murderer at the front door of a family’s home is looking to kill the children asks if the children are home, the parent would be required to tell the murderer that the children are home, thus further endangering the lives of the children, and going against the duties of being a parent. In this case, the parent would have to choose between performing their duty, and protecting their children by lying to the murderer or being honest to the murderer and endangering the lives of their children. Kant argues that there is nothing wrong with telling the murderer the truth because the murderer is his own moral agent, and the parent is not responsible for the murderer’s choices. By preventing against moral abuses such as loopholes, personal biases, and self-serving exceptions, Kant’s categorical Imperative eliminates the possibility of having true moral value in certain
Immanuel Kant was a German philosopher remembered for his influence on ethics. Ethics is the philosophical study of moral actions. There are two particular ways of thinking regarding ethics: consequentialism and deontology. Consequentialism divides right and wrong entirely based on the consequences of an action - the end justifies the means. Deontology is the position arguing that consequences do not matter because moral judgement is based on the act alone, not the consequences. Kant was a deontologist and developed an unbreakable moral code that he called the “Categorical Imperative”. Kant characterized the Categorical Imperative as an objective, rationally necessary, and unconditional principle that people must …show more content…
Kant’s Categorical Imperative emphasizes “the importance of rationality, consistency, impartiality, and respect for persons in the way we live our lives. If Kant is correct that moral absolutes cannot be violated, then he prevents any loopholes, self-serving exceptions, and personal biases in the determination of our duties” (Anscombe). The Categorical Imperative does well in preventing loopholes, self-serving exceptions, and personal biases, however, in doing that, it does not properly address areas that need an exception. For example, if a murderer at the front door of a family’s home is looking to kill the children asks if the children are home, the parent would be required to tell the murderer that the children are home, thus further endangering the lives of the children, and going against the duties of being a parent. In this case, the parent would have to choose between performing their duty, and protecting their children by lying to the murderer or being honest to the murderer and endangering the lives of their children. Kant argues that there is nothing wrong with telling the murderer the truth because the murderer is his own moral agent, and the parent is not responsible for the murderer’s choices. By preventing against moral abuses such as loopholes, personal biases, and self-serving exceptions, Kant’s categorical Imperative eliminates the possibility of having true moral value in certain