The Philosophy Of Kant: Relationship Considered Indispensable (Essay Sample)

The philosophy of Kant is such a significant one that still praised till the present day regarding its paramount importance in shaping humans’ thinking and rational reasoning. Kant stresses the idea of pure reason pure will that between which he established a relationship that he considered indispensable. For this great philosopher, an action done from duty is favored over and action done in accord with duty. Actually, he defines duty as pure will and pure reason incarnated in respecting the law to act from it and not merely conform to it.
For a moral action to count as good it must stem from law itself. Pure duty is, in fact, the ground of moral action. As duty comes prior to any experience, it is called by Kant a priori making it in a position that precedes situations and experiences humans may undergo. Hence, a priori is where moral concepts reside. The insistence on purity is suggestive of its stiff ties with dignity. The most illustrative evidence is the following citation of Kant that goes as follows: “[A]ll moral concepts have their seat and origin completely a priori in reason” (p. 291).
In the same vein, reason is eventually conducive to pure will. The ground that could be said to be really and effectively valid for all rational beings is priori through which they can act on the basis of pure will. The idea that certain rational beings may not employ their rationality when undertaking an action at a certain moment by no means reflects that they do not possess the ability to act rationally. Yet, acting in conformity with law is not something that is appreciated on the part of Kant.
Following the same line of thought, one wouldn’t do without Kant’s categorical imperative; it relates to rational beings’ actions that are done out of pure will and, more importantly, out of necessity, yet do not originate from their quest and desire for a particular end. To put it differently, every rational being has to submit to the idea that no one is an exception when it comes to action performing. In that, it is imperative to make use of pure reason rather than a rationalization so that good will is maintained. All actions have to submit to the same rule without exceptions. Kant’s formula of categorical imperative lays pretty thick on the idea of good will that has to be kept preserved by undertaking actions that are necessary yet void of personal preferences and interests. It is an obligation following from the principles and forms constituting actions.
The sole motivation for action should be unconditional necessity for rational action whose results do not have to be desired for. However, the intention that the action one undertakes becomes a universal law weighs heavily on the shape of thoughts Kant pictured. What best illustrates this very thought is Kant’s saying: “act only in accordance with that maxim [motivating principle] through which you can at the same time will that it become a universal law” (p. 296). That is to say that the moral worth of an action is the product of its being good in itself and not for itself.
Another equally crucial notion suggested by Kant remains universalism. Once a law becomes universal, everyone has to abide by it; there is no room for exceptions. In point of fact, being a universal law is the ultimate goal Kant intends actions to reach; it is, indeed, the best manifestation of good will. Driving at universalism, one would make sure that the action they undertake is void of evil, thus, when applied universally, it cannot struggle with itself. Moral worth is likely to be reached thanks to the very principle of universalism for it one visualize actions from a rational point of view, which draws a clearer picture of how they could turn out to be if applied and adopted universally. This will, in turn, determine the value and moral worth of the actions. Moreover, a rule of action must hold for all rational beings’ actions so that a common principle governing them is reached.
Meanwhile, from a personal perspective, I would argue that universalism is as rational as irrational as long as its application to certain maxims could result in unfavorable results. The well-praised notion could undermine itself in case exceptions are overlooked in certain situations. In this context, six maxims will be probed in terms of Kant’s universal criterion to see if it could be applicable to them or not.
‘Never say “I love you” to someone unless they say it to you first’ is a maxim that I could literally consider incompatible with universalism for the reason that if everyone would have to wait for the other party to say ‘I love you’ first, then even the other party may have to abide with the universal law and not say ‘I love you&rsquo...