Friday, October 3, 2014
Kant
Through out the week of class we have discussed the ideals of Kant. Kant had many ideals such as the belief that a human action is morally good, not because it is done in immediate inclinations but rather because it is done for the sake of duty. For example the action of helping an old woman across the street is only morally good because you wanted to do it, not because the old woman was actually a millionaire and is willing to give you money for doing the action. He also believed in the use of the Categorical imperative, which consists of three parts. One, act only in such that you can will your maxim (principle in which one acts) of your action as a universal can. Two,Act only in such away that you treat humanity whether in your own person or another never merely as a means, but always as an end in itself. Three, act in accordance with the maxims of a member giving universal laws for a merely possible kingdom of ends. So in the end of our weekly discussion I am left here with two important question. What does a morally good action mean to you? Do you agree or disagree with Kant's stance?
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A morally good action can be described as one that is performed as more of an instinctual response rather than a self-aware performance. For example, taking the example from above, if I were to actually recognize that the woman was a millionaire and react on helping her on the hopes of getting an award, there is some aspect of selfishness. As for Kant's ideology, I agree with it. Even if one's maxim was morally good, there is always an end result that is wanted. A person who continuously helps others for the sake of it expect an abundance of help when in a predicament. There is always that 'end result' in which Kant's viewpoint is observed.
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