Kant: Theory of Ethics Immanuel

Kant: Theory of Ethics

Immanuel Kant's theory of ethics is grounded in deontological principles. In such theories, rules are of utmost significance in deciding a moral dilemma. However Kant was not an ordinary deontologist and he was in fact highly critical of ethical theories and moral philosophies that preceded his work. His theory is known as critical theory because of the errors that Kant identified in theories presented by previous thinkers. Kant argued that the problem with earlier theories was that those who postulated them were unaware of what they were doing. He felt that it is only when one knows how the philosophy is to be applied that he can hope to have a successful theory at hand.

Kant's ethical theory begins with the definition of good will. In rather dramatic fashion, Kant declares that nothing but good will can be absolutely good. He states: "It is impossible to conceive anything in the world, or even out of it, which can be taken as good without limitation, save only a good will.' (GR, 393). What Kant meant by this was that an action that is governed by good will couldn't ever be immoral or wrong. He argued that good will was the only thing that could be unconditionally good and nothing else would compare with it. Thus the foundation of a good action should be grounded in good will.

Moving ahead with this, he explained that good will was not bound by duty. In other words, while duty might compel many people to have a good will but a genuine good will should never be dependent on duty. When something is dependent on something else, there is always room for personal desires, prejudices and biases taking over. But a genuine good will is something that stays closely connected with one's personal sense of morality and is neither governed by a sense of duty nor by conventional morality. However since man has his limitations and is often moved by his personal desires, duty is the only thing that would force him to act on good will and good will alone. This is an interesting paradox but one that is largely based on reason. Ideally, good will should be free of duty but man cannot attain good will without having some law or sense of duty binding him to act on it. For this reason, "good will under human conditions is one which acts for the sake of duty."

With good will tied to duty, Kant further maintains that a man must act according to his maxim of morality. This maxim would be a principle on which he would act in a given situation. For example if a person feels that life without wealth is meaningless, he might decide that if he ever becomes poor, he would become a hermit and quit social life. This would be his maxim and thus a principle by which he must abide when such a situation arises. Kant knew that only rational being could be expected to have a maxim of morality. 'Everything in nature, works in accordance with laws. Only a rational being has the power to act in accordance with his idea of laws, that is, in accordance with principles.' (Gr, 412)

However a person who has a maxim is not allowed acting on it unless he decides that it is something he would want for everyone. Kant argues that unless a person wants to attach universality to this maxim, it cannot be considered a correct principle or a moral one. this is known as the categorical imperative. One must categorically decide that he would want the law to become universal in nature. He thus says, "Act only on that maxim through which you can at the same time will that it should become a universal law." (Gr, 421)

Kant distinguished between autonomy and heteronomy to explain his moral philosophy in greater depth. Apart from the imperative of universality, it is also important that one must be autonomous in his decisions. Autonomy is 'free will' which is regaled by self-legislation. Thus such a will is governed by nothing but my own sense of morality. However when one is trying to please a higher authority or following some moral code prescribed by someone else, this is called heteronomy.