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Rationality In Kant's Categorical Imperative

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First and foremost, the modern human is an individual. He is not an organic part of the society, but a basic independent unit of knowledge. Human’s most important feature is reason. Rationality is what distincts us and makes us a human being. In his theory of moral Kant puts aside emotions and disregards human body. According to Kant rationality is the basic need of human being.

Kantianism is a part of deontological ethics and is always in contrast of utilitarianism, which emphasizes the consequences. In Kant’s perspective actions are approved or disapproved in and by themselves. Peoples’ rights should never be violated, even if it brings good consequences. Kant discovers hidden principles that govern our beliefs. According to Kant the only …show more content…

They don’t disappear. This is the obligation that is immediate and understood by all rationale creatures.

There are three formulations of the Categorical Imperative:

1. "Act only according to that maxim whereby you can at the same time will that it should become a universal law without contradiction."
2. “Act in such a way that you treat humanity, whether in your own person or in the person of any other, never merely as a means to an end, but always at the same time as an end.”
3. “Therefore, every rational being must so act as if he were through his maxim always a legislating member in the universal kingdom of ends.”

I would like to concentrate on the first one, which is “Act only according to that maxim whereby you can at the same time will that it should become a universal law without contradiction.” To understand whether any act is moral we need to use the above formulation using guidelines. We have to state the maxim and apply the formulation mentioned before (will that it becomes a universal law), which means asking yourself a question “What if everyone was doing the same”. If it leads to a logical contradiction, it fails the test and is not morally permissible. This could be supported by the Plato’s law of

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