Kant's contributions to business ethics and the categorical imperative

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).

Conclusion

In conclusion, it can be noted that in a way, Kant's ethical theories mainly concern themselves with the duty of individuals to align their actions with the best outcomes in terms of respect for others and the preservation of moral value. Thus in business, entities must not view stakeholders as mere means towards the accomplishment of business ends. Instead, entities should give consideration to all stakeholders and accord them an equal right to make individual choices.