Immanuel Kants Groundwork: Duty, Happiness, and Inclinations

Kants Deontological moral theory focuses on the concept of duty as the way to understand what he argues to be the only thing which can be said to be entirely good a good will . This is a very different Intelligence and other intellectual characteristics or virtues

conception of Ethics than those articulated by other common moral theories, which focus on goods like: Qualities of character, like the virtues of courage, resolution, temperance, self-control

These are good in some ways and desirable, but can be harmful or bad if the persons will is not good. What about other things that other moral theories regard as good? Power Wealth Honor Health

Satisfaction of our desires and inclinations what Kant calls Happiness

These also are good, in some respects, but not only can be used for bad ends, they can also go wrong: Their possession or enjoyment can make a person prideful if a good will is lacking they dont deserve them If a person with a bad will possesses or enjoys these, seeing that upsets us, for good reason

Kant orients his moral theory by asking what the purpose of a human being is the kind of being that has the faculties of reason and of will. been designed much better. o o It could be that beings preservation or well-being i.e. happiness. But then, we could have We could have had been given instincts which would steer us towards happiness better When reason is used mainly to determine the means for making us happy, it actually steers us away from true contentment

There is a sense that there exists a higher purpose for a human being for reason and will o Reason was given to us in order to produce as good a will as possible

A good will, Kant says, is not the only good thing but it is the highest good an end in itself

determines means to achieve ends

Reason

for producing the good will in actions

Means

The highest end for humans

A Good Will

Desires and Inclinations

for satisfying desires and inclinations in actions

Means

Happiness

Satisfaction of desires and inclinations

Copyright Gregory B. Sadler, ReasonIO, 2012

Immanuel Kants Groundwork: Duty, Happiness, and Inclinations

In order to grasp the concept of a will good in itself, that is an end in itself, we have to focus on Duty Kant distinguishes several different kinds of actions, depending on their motivations Actions which are in and which are done from duty even against inclinations Morally good or right accordance with duty Actions which are in but which are done because of some immediate inclination Self-Interested, not morally good or right accordance with duty Actions which are in but which are done inclination accordance with duty because of some other Self-Interested, not Morally bad or wrong Actions which are contrary to duty

morally good or right

Example: A shopkeeper and charging princes Not overcharging, out of duty and keeping to fixed price principles of honesty Action in accordance with duty done from duty even against inclinations Not overcharging, keeping to fixed price out of love for fellow human beings Not overcharging, keeping to fixed price to keep out of trouble, keep business going with duty but done inclination Taking advantage of customers by charging higher prices

less experienced buyers Action contrary to duty

Action in accordance with duty but done because of some

Actions in accordance because of some other Self-Interested, not

immediate inclination Self-Interested, not morally good or right

Morally good or right

morally good or right

Morally bad or wrong

Example: beneficence doing good to other people Doing good to others feeling like doing it out of duty, when not Action in accordance with duty done from duty even against inclinations Doing good to other people, because it makes one feel good Action in accordance with duty but done because of some Doing good to other people, in order to gain Actions in accordance with duty but done inclination because of some other Self-Interested, not Morally bad or wrong Not doing good to other people, doing harm to other people

honor or power thereby

Action contrary to duty

immediate inclination Self-Interested, not morally good or right

Morally good or right

morally good or right

So, what determines whether an action is from good will and is therefore good or right? The action has to be done from duty to have positive moral value the maxim the rule by which the action is determined The action is done out of respect for the moral law The moral value of the action resides not in the purpose or consequences of the action, but in

Copyright Gregory B. Sadler, ReasonIO, 2012