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Why Kant 's Universal Law Formula Fails

Introduction

The universal law is enshrouded by efforts to define and categorize deeds . The classification of these deeds depend on the underlying motives and the maxims which guide the . The universal law therefore seeks to give a direction on which of such deeds ought to be acceptable by the established social standards . The main guiding feature of the universal law should be its acceptability and applicability in all circumstances . The universal law according to Kant

ought to discriminate between the worthiness and the acceptability of the deed

Kant believes that the universal law formula can be used to evaluate deeds and decide which is right and which is wrong . According to the universal law formula as set by Kant , the identification of the underlying principles , the overall applicability of the deeds as well as the motives informing such deeds are sufficient in determining the acceptability of the moral a deed

He states the moral law universal formula that it would be be wrong to act on any maxim of which if it is to be accepted and acted upon by everyone , then it would be impossible for anyone to act on it

The major aim of Kantian principles of universal moral law were to establish autonomy of all beings . This autonomy is informed by the fact that the free agents are capable of making informed decisions on the deeds that they partake . The entire effort of such an undertaking would be directed at looking for a supreme law of morality . This he envisioned would be in the form of the universal law

Kant puts it that , it would be wrong to act on anything that could not be a universal law . This implies that the universal law should be the guiding light in all our actions and all the activities we may engage in . This is also a major confounder of all the arguments so rounding Kant 's arguments . The arguments are biased towards the efforts at making the autonomy of beings as well as the decisions they take to have a sole guiding light . The universal laws are generally geared towards the identification of a moral high ground upon which all should act

According to Rawls (1951 ) subjectivity or objectivity of moral knowledge does not interrogate the existence of ideal value entities exist or the existence of moral codes world over that can be used to validate or invalidate any proposed rules and as such , any decisions arising from such values . Just as science seeks to prove its theories by a practical procedure , then it should apply that , rules and procedures should be available to establish the authenticity of the moral rules and the lines of conduct that they may advocate . In this light therefore the issue of moral objectivity comes into the picture in efforts to discern such authenticity

Kant further formulated the impossibility formula , this is geared towards defining the maxims which acting upon would...