For Kant, goodness only comes from following the law. First, Kant distinguishes those actions that conform to duty as being either "done from duty or from a self-serving purpose." Inclinations are essentially selfish motives. The one who makes the lying promise to repay money cannot, then, use this as a rule for acting. Course Hero, Inc. As a reminder, you may only use Course Hero content for your own personal use and may not copy, distribute, or otherwise exploit it for any other purpose. Actions are right, therefore, not for their results but for the motive that initiated the action. Splitting man into his inclinations and his reason echoes St. Paul’s distinction of man into a sinful flesh and a divine soul, a distinction that is central to Lutheranism. There can be both a metaphysics of nature (of physics) and of morals (ethics), the second of which can be broken down into the empirical (practical anthropology) and the rational (morals). We feel this distinction innately. At the same time, there is a powerful humanism and democratic streak to Kant’s argument. Hence the Bible says to love your enemy. Consider again how often circumstances present themselves as choices for acting. You can’t command someone to feel love, but you can command them to act based on a sense of duty. 4 Groundwork for the Metaphysics of Morals ence, empirical, but that which puts forth its doctrines solely from princi- ples a priori, pure philosophy.The latter, when it is merely formal, is called logic; but if it is limited to determinate objects of the understanding, then3 it is called metaphysics. As a youth, Kant was expected to join the seminary, and he was a practicing Lutheran for his whole life. Kant presents important topics and concepts in this chapter. It may serve one's purpose to do what is right one year but not the next. This person "wishes for death, and yet preserves his life, without loving it, not from inclination, or fear, but from duty. The suicidal man is the one whose action not only accords with duty—he does the right thing by not killing himself—but is also undertaken for the sake of duty. Kant calls these commands categorical and hypothetical imperatives, respectively. 3 Apr. Kant describes this principle as the "categorical imperative.". Kant's Groundwork of the Metaphysics of Morals is one of the most important works in modern moral philosophy. G.W.F. This explains both the discomfort felt at seeing a terrible person happy and a good person unhappy. When one explains why one has done something one thinks is moral, one appeals to what one takes to be good. It is, as a practical matter, contradictory. An action that is contrary to duty, though still useful for some purpose. Because the good will is good without qualification, it is good in itself—intrinsically or inherently good. • 1895. Alternatively, 2. Published: April 03, 2012 Henry E. Allison, Kant's Groundwork for the Metaphysics of Morals: A Commentary, Oxford University Press, 2011, 377pp., $45.00 (pbk), ISBN 9780199691548. Duty, in turn, is "the necessity of action from respect for the law." Kant also accepts it as axiomatic that humanity possesses an inalienable dignity; the goal is not only to be happy, but to be able to reflect on one’s own happiness and consider oneself worthy of it, to achieve an inner harmony. In other words he cares about his customers—he loves them—and does not want to show preference to one customer over another by charging different prices. That person's maxim is something like this: "When I need money, I will lie to a lender." Have study documents to share about Groundwork of the Metaphysics of Morals? Instead, he has shown what acting from duty means. A clear understanding of morals can also help people to ensure that their motivations are pure. Grounding for the Metaphysics of Morals was written by Immanuel Kant and published in 1785. Groundwork of the Metaphysics of Morals Summary Kant’s Groundwork aims to use what Kant calls “pure philosophy,” or intellect alone, to develop a moral philosophy. One cannot control one's inclinations. Kant believes this is clear from the previous examples. Duty means one adopt lying as one 's duty, in fact be. The shopkeeper can be motivated by self-interest, as when he does not overcharge his customers because he wants to preserve his reputation. It is generalized across instances but is subjective in that it accounts for the person's understanding of the person's circumstances. It is important to bear in mind that Kant does not equate willing the good with mere wishing. Because the good will is the only unconditionally good thing in the universe, this is what Kant must analyze as he attempts to identify the ultimate moral principle. 2. We can say it’s not prudent, because the inevitable breaking of the promise will cause pain to others, which will lead to guilt on my part; ultimately, it won't be worth it. The Question and Answer section for Groundwork of the Metaphysics of Morals is a great Second, he articulates the moral law in terms of the requirement "never to proceed except in such a way that I could also will that my maxim should become a universal law." Suppose further that this action conforms to duty, that is, the action is in accordance with duty. By letting the law itself be our motivation. Moreover, moral motivation can't be accidental. Case 4: A person wants to die but does not commit suicide. Human beings are organized for life—to live, and to continue living. We just do what our feelings tell us—at that moment, it happens to be something good; in the next moment, it may well be something bad. However, we have no guarantee that being moral will make us happy; it only makes us deserving of happiness. In such a wise there arises the idea of a twofold metaphysics, the idea of Kant argues that such actions have no moral worth, because they’re done from inclination. Groundwork for the Metaphysics of Morals essays are academic essays for citation. On the other hand, one's rational capacity puts being moral under one's control. In other words does one say, "I will lie when it suits my purposes," and make it a habitual practice? Upon reflection, that person should recognize that a lying promise is conceptually contradictory or self-defeating. In this case the man's motivation for not killing himself is duty. His motivation is, then, self-serving. Now, he needs to prove that this imperative exists, and that it is our duty to follow this law. When we do good, others around us, like our parents, our teacher, a pastor, praise us for having done good, and the memory of that pleasure causes us to continue to do good. Thus, the consequences of the action undertaken by a good will have no effect on the goodness of the will. Section 1: Transition from Common Rational to Philosophic Moral Cognition Kant's analysis of ordinary moral consciousness reveals that … People recognize morality as a duty. This principle must be abstract (purely rational) in order to guide one under any possible set of circumstance, and must have the force of a law—that is, the binding power of a command. What is ethical has to be done for the sake of the law, and for that reason our experience can’t serve as a viable basis for a durable moral philosophy. These papers were written primarily by students and provide critical analysis of Groundwork for the Metaphysics of Morals by Immanuel Kant. First, he argues that, if we do the good just because we feel like it, that’s no guarantee that we will keep doing good. The most basic aim of moral philosophy, and so also of theGroundwork, is, in Kant’s view, to “seekout” the foundational principle of a “metaphysics ofmorals,” which Kant understands as a system of a priorimoral principles that apply the CI to human persons in all times andcultures. Kant's Groundwork of the Metaphysics of Morals is one of the most important works in modern moral philosophy. The investigation into "the supreme principle of morality" begins in an analysis of what Kant calls "common cognition"—how people generally think about morality. Happiness, then, is not unconditionally good, either. You have to act according to the law because the law is the law. So, in practice, one cannot be certain that one's motivation to act was duty or inclination. Suppose one witnesses a traffic accident in which a pedestrian has been hit by a car. 2021. for a ”metaphysics of morals” by seeking out and establishing its first principle. We have a natural sense that this respect we feel for the law confirms a worth that far outweighs that of merely agreeing with a certain end (e.g., in the example above, of not causing pain to others and thus guilt for myself). People may not, in fact, be free in the way required by moral motivation. No other human characteristic has this feature. Unlike those thinkers who state that being happy and causing happiness in others makes a person moral, Kant asserts the opposite: being a good person makes one deserving of happiness. Kant wants to analyze these actions to show what makes them morally good or bad. Course Hero. In other words it can't be by chance that one feels the right way or has the right interest. Sedgwick takes admirable care working through Kant's preface, mining it for clues to Kant's aims for the book as a whole and his methods in each section. According to Kant the moral worth of an action Student Answer lies in its from PHI 208 at Ashford University One may be inclined to do what is right one day but not the next. If a merchant sells his wares at a fair price, and never cheats anyone, that doesn’t mean he does it out of a sense of duty. Some qualities (moderation, clear-headedness) can make it easier for a good will to function. The consequences of the attempt are irrelevant to its value. Kant attempts to show that, even if humans are not free (in which case there would be no such thing as moral worth), only the good will, as well as the moral principle that underlies it, meets the requirements reflected in the concept of duty. Kant provides examples to clarify what it means to be motivated from duty, rather than from self-interest or immediate inclination: the shopkeeper and the suicidal man. 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