Immanuel Kant Today, Immanuel Kant Is Still

Immanuel Kant Today, Immanuel Kant is still considered one of business ethics' most predominate philosophers. Thus in a way, the study of business ethics is founded on the ideas floated by Kant and those who shared in his opinions. In this text, I will develop a brief bibliography of Immanuel Kant and later describe the contributions he made to the study of Business Ethics.

Immanuel Kant: A Brief Bibliography Born in 1724 at Konigsberg, East Prussia, Immanuel Kant spent his first formative years with his devout evangelical Protestant family (Martin and Bailey, 2011). In away, his family's modest means were not sufficient to guarantee Kant Enrolment in a reputable school. Kant was however soon enrolled in a respected local secondary school by a Lutheran pastor who identified young Kant's unique talents. Later on, Kant got a place at a Pietist institution where he became primarily interested in Latin classics.

The school was Collegium Fridiricianum and Kant was aged eight at the time of enrolment (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, 2010). In 1740, while aged sixteen, Kant enrolled at Konigsberg University where his interests largely revolved around natural sciences, mathematics and philosophy. On his father's death, Kant was left with no significant income to finance his studies. It is at around this time that Kant chose to engage in private tutoring to youngsters in Konigsberg's vicinity (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, 2010).

For the fifteen-year period between 1755 and 1770, Kant chose to engage in lecturing while occasionally publishing papers on a wide range of topics. Some of Kant's best-known works according to the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (2010) include but are not limited to "the Critique of Pure Reason (1781, 1787), the Critique of Practical Reason (1788), and the Critique of the Power of Judgment (1790)." The death of Kant occurred in 1904 "after a tragic period of senility" (Martin and Bailey, 2011).

Kant's Contribution to the Study of Business Ethics In Kant's opinion, morality should ideally be anchored on reason. It can be noted that according to his submission on what is known as the "categorical imperative" individuals should only act in accordance to maxims they would be comfortable with were they to be branded universal norms (White, 2008). Further, individuals should never regard others as a means to an end. In this case, it is relatively easy to demonstrate the categorical imperative.

For instance, if an individual broke into a long line at a movie store, this action would be regarded unethical as it would bring about a state of anarchy were everyone to choose the same course of action. Further, if an individual promises another reimbursement at a later date on being bought a movie or bus ticket, it would be immoral if such an individual later on refuses to keep his promise. Hence in a way, Kant's theory had special insistence on the need to keep promises (i.e.

when it comes to contractual agreements), adherence to laid down rules and the necessity of trust. In Kant's view, human beings possess some moral norms that enable them to rise above a behavior seen to be purely animalistic. Thus if a personal gain is to be attained at the expense of other individuals, human beings.