Kant's Universality Principle
The First Formulation of the Categorical Imperative: The Universality Principle
According to Kant, all moral duties can be derived from the ‘categorical imperative’, which is the fundamental moral principle that he posits. The principle is an “imperative” because it is a command upon the will, and “categorical” because it applies to any situation that a moral agent encounters. Kant draws a distinction between “hypothetical imperatives” and the categorical imperative. A hypothetical imperative takes the form, “if y is sought, do x”, whereas the categorical imperative simply takes the form, “do x”.
The first formulation of the categorical imperative is: “act only in accordance with that maxim through which you can at the same time will that it become a universal law”. In applying this formulation – the Universality principle – an agent must first construe the maxim that would underpin their potential course of action. They must then ask whether it would be possible for everyone to act in accordance with this maxim. If the maxim results in a logical absurdity when universalized, it is against the moral law.
Kant provides the example of lying, for instance, to conceal adulterous behavior. The maxim underpinning
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As the categorical imperative is supposed to be the content of the moral law, it must therefore encompass the proper goals or ends of human activity. According to Kant, the only “end in itself” and hence to act morally is to respect rational agents as ends rather than means to some different end. Thus Kant writes: “So act that you use humanity, whether in your own person or in the person of any other, always at the same time as an end, never merely as a means”. As such, Kant’s Humanity principle requires that humans are not treated merely as things that have instrumental value, but instead that humans are treated as intrinsically
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420 Words | 2 PagesFor example lying to get something that you want. If you make that exception for yourself, then it is okay for everyone to lie in order to get what they want under the categorical imperative. This will lead to nobody believing what anybody
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1969 Words | 8 PagesKant's categorical imperative is a belief that certain actions are absolutely prohibited even that if it would bring more happiness as an alternative. There are two things you must ask yourself before doing the action. One would be can i rationally say that everyone would act as I supposed to act and two is, does my action respect the goals of human beings rather than merely using them for my own purposes. An example of this belief would be unconditional rule sayings don’t cheat on taxes. So even though the cheating on your taxes would serve your own interest, you cannot cheat because it is a universal law.
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1222 Words | 5 PagesI hope to convince the reader that Kant’s Categorical Imperative is the better way to live a morally conscious life and more practical to follow as well. First I will briefly describe both Kant’s and Mill’s principles. Then I will go on to explain the advantages and disadvantages of both. Finally, I hope to provide a counterargument for some of Kant’s Categorical Imperatives downfalls. Kant states the Categorical Imperative as: "Act as if the maxim of your action were to become through your will and general natural law."
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