Kant`s Categorical imperative

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Kant 's Categorical imperative

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Kant 's Categorical imperative

Kantian moral philosophy is called the categorical imperative , which was formulated by German philosopher Immanuel Kant . Kant is an 18th century German philosopher who proposed a criterion of moral obligation that is a stark deviation from the traditional moral philosophies of his time . Traditional moral philosophies prior to Kant focused on good character traits and the consequence of actions . In contrast , Kant believed that there is only one supreme principle

of morality , which he called the categorical imperative (The Categorical Imperative , 2001

Kant 's anchored his philosophy on the concept of duty . This kind of philosophy is deontological , which holds that morality is determined by man 's duty , and such duty is formulated in the rule of the categorical imperative . The categorical imperative serves as the one general rule that shall guide human actions (The Categorical Imperative , 2001

Kant posited that the moral principle that should guide human actions must be objective , rational and freely chosen . Subjective factors such as pleasure have no use in moral philosophy , which factors figured largely in other ethical theories such as utilitarianism . Proper conduct of man is determined by principles of obligation and reason (The Categorical Imperative , 2001

The categorical imperative could be applied in controversial ethical issues such as euthanasia . The question of whether it is morally correct to pull the plugs of medical support on a person whose chances are living are relatively small could be answered by determining whether one course of action could be considered as a general rule compared to the other option (The Categorical Imperative , 2001 . Applying the notions of obligation and duty , the balance would tilt in favor of keeping life support systems , since would argue against the adoption of a general rule of action in favor of the obligation and duty of assisting the continuation of life

References

The Categorical Imperative (2001 . The Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy . Retrieved December 1 , 2006 , from http /www .nd .edu rbarger /categorical-imperative .html

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