Categorical Imperative - 2266 Words

categorical imperative n. In the ethical system of Immanuel Kant, an unconditional moral law that applies to all rational beings and is independent of any personal motive or desire QUICK FACTS * NAME: Immanuel Kant * OCCUPATION: Philosopher * BIRTH DATE: April 22, 1724 * DEATH DATE: February 12, 1804 * PLACE OF BIRTH: Kaliningrad (now Konigsburg), Russia * PLACE OF DEATH: Kaliningrad (now Konigsburg), Russia Profile Immanuel Kant was born on April 22, 1724, in Kaliningrad (now Konigsburg), Russia. While tutoring, he published science papers, including General Natural History and Theory of the Heavens in 1755. He spent the next 15 years as a metaphysics lecturer. In 1781, he published the first part of†¦show more content†¦In the Groundwork for the Metaphysics of Morals, once Kant has derived his categorical imperative he applies it to a number of examples. The second example and probably the most analysed is that of an unfaithful promise. Kant applies his imperative to a person who is short of money who intends to ask for a loan, promising to repay it, but with no intention of doing so. When Kant applies the categorical imperative to this situation he discovers that it leads to a contradiction, for if breaking promises were to become universal then no person would ever agree to a promise and promises would disappear. Kant connects rationality with morality, and sees contradictory behavi our as immoral. Some critics have argued that Kant never asserts the connection between rationality and morality, but most dismiss this and point out that Kant clearly explains how morality must be based upon reason and not upon desires. Rejection of Aristotle Especially important to Kant were the worksShow MoreRelatedcategorical imperative2232 Words   |  9 Pagesï » ¿Explain with examples, Kant s theory of the Categorical Imperative Kant believed that there is an objective moral law this meant, he did not depend on a point of view. If there is a moral law there is a duty to obey this law. To act morally, it is necessary to have a good will for example to help someone just because it would be the right thing to do in the certain situation. Morality is made up of categorical imperatives meaning that you should do something simply because they are theRead MoreKant And The Categorical Imperative1177 Words   |  5 Pagescontent of what they believed, they had latched onto a great need to promote ethical behavior, a need which still remained. It was in this context that Kant came up with the idea he called categorical imperative, which are commands you must follow, regardless of your desires. In Kant’s view, the categorical imperative is the voice of our rational selves, it’s what we all truly believe when we’re thinking sensibly, it’s the rule of our own intelligence gives us. We wil l discuss two of Kant’s formulations;Read MoreThe Ethics On Categorical Imperatives1999 Words   |  8 Pages KANTIANT ETHICS ON CATEGORICAL IMPERATIVES Nicole Vang Philosophy 3360: Business Ethics Ryan S. Hellmers June 8, 2015â€Æ' Immanuel Kant is one of the most important and hardest philosophers in history. Kant’s thinking of philosophy is based on human autonomy, the understanding of human and their reasons. An action of moral worth is not the aftermath by the action, but the motive behind it. He argues that the only motives for these reasons are from universal principles, leading to his famousRead More Kant’s Categorical Imperatives Essay978 Words   |  4 Pagesevaluate whether one’s actions are moral, we use many moral dilemmas. One of them is Kant’s categorical imperative. This essay presents Kant’s project of categorical imperative. Then, I will explain that rulers should appeal to Kant’s categorical imperative when making foreign policy decision. In order to support my point of view, I will give importance to the reasons of why rulers appeal to categorical imperative when making foreign policy, so I have two reasons for this. One of them is that states depend Read More Kant and the Categorical Imperative Essay897 Words   |  4 PagesKant and the Categorical Imperative Kant tried to develop a theory of ethics which relied on reason rather than emotion. While he was not anti-religious, he wanted an ethical system which was not clouded by religion, emotion or personal interpretation. He placed emphasis on motives behind an action rather than, like the Utilitarians, the consequences of an action. He believed that consequences were no guide to whether an action was moral or not. His theory is known asRead MoreThe Categorical Imperative And The Utilitarian Perspective935 Words   |  4 Pages1. Given these query results, do you have an ethical responsibility to do something? Consider both the categorical imperative and the utilitarian perspective. The query results clearly indicate the inequality, the most of the employees born in cites like California, Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas are getting fewer salaries than their job salary range. In this situation, we are ethically responsible for doing something about it, but it is not easy to know the decision we are making is right or wrongRead MoreEssay about Categorical Imperative1517 Words   |  7 PagesKant thinks that the basic moral principles of our society come from people’s rationality, and people must follow these principles unconditionally. These moral principles are the Categorical Imperative. Meanwhile, its common rules have different directions in society. To conclude these directions, it can be reflected from three different formulations. Among the three formulations, the first formulation of universal law has standout features in the maxim and the constraints about people’s behaviorsRead MoreCategorical Imperative By Immanuel Kant946 Words   |   4 Pagesable to choose the right moral path based on intellect regardless of religion or belief in a God. Immanuel Kant’s Categorical Imperative, arguably what he is best known for can be summed up for an argument for making the right moral decision, as if they applied to everyone equally. This can be done using a person’s sense of reason, and consideration for others. Likewise these imperatives are the moral obligations you need to follow, despite your desires. While applying this to religions, Kant believedRead More Kants Categorical Imperative Essay1537 Words   |  7 PagesKants Categorical Imperative Deontology is the ethical view that some actions are morally forbidden or permitted regardless of consequences. One of the most influential deontological philosophers in history is Immanuel Kant who developed the idea of the Categorical Imperative. Kant believed that the only thing of intrinsic moral worth is a good will. Kant says in his work Morality and Rationality â€Å"The good will is not good because of what it affects or accomplishes or because of it’s adequacyRead MoreCategorical Vs. Categorical Imperative1929 Words   |  8 Pages An imperative can be described as either a requirement or an order such as an assistant manager being told to take inventory or being told by a personal trainer to do fifty squats. All imperatives, no matter what it is, can either be hypothetical or categorical. A hypothetical imperative would be defining an action to be good if there is â€Å"a means to do something else†. (Landau-Kant 93) An example of a hypothetical imperative would be to do an action in order to achieve a specific result. On the