Immanuel Kants Groundwork of the Metaphysic of Morals

Immanuel Kant’s Groundwork of the Metaphysic of Morals serves the purpose of founding moral theory from moral judgment and examining whether there is such thing as a ‘moral law’ that is absolute and universal. In chapter three of his work, he discusses the relationship between free will and the moral law and claims â€Å"A free will and a will under moral laws are one and the same.† He stands firm in his belief that moral law is what guides a will that is free from empirical desires. To be guided by moral laws it would require men to be ideal rational agents. Free will must be a will that gives itself autonomy. According to the formula of autonomy, every rational agent is universal and no experience can determine universality. A rational agent may ‘will’ to act a certain way, but because they are rational beings free from sensual temptations, their ‘will’ is what imperfectly rational people ‘ought’ to act. Therefore, a rational agent’s ‘will’ becomes a universal law in which people guided by empirical experiences should abide. A rational agent is only autonomous when one can make judgments not by external â€Å"impulsion,† but by â€Å"pure practical reason.† Just as Kant states good will is a will â€Å"good in itself,† he believes a rational agent is â€Å"an end in itself† who becomes the author of the universal law which he will obey and the rest will follow. If a person can act as if one is a law-maker of a â€Å"kingdom of ends† who ca n be responsible for the universal law of one’s people,Show MoreRelatedKant s Theory Of Rights929 Words   |  4 Pagesworthy of dignity and respect. That the moral action does not consist on the consequences but instead in the intention of why the act was done. Its important to do what is right because it is right, and not for a personal motive. Kant does not believe in self-interest to be part of the moral worth. Self-interest such as wants, desires, and appetites are part of what he calls â€Å"motives of inclination†. He only believes that actions done by motive of duty have a moral worth. The differences between dutyRead MoreThe Differences Between Moral Motivation1390 Words   |  6 PagesThe differences between moral motivation in Groundworks and Utilitarianism Among the history of moral philosophy, two major philosophers, Immanuel Kant and John Stuart Mill from the 18th and 19th century have come up with two different moral theories for the moral philosophy. Kant had established his view of moral in his bookâ€Å"The Groundwork of the Metaphysics of morals† and claimed that motivation of an actions are based on duty and reason. 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