Metaphysics of Morals Essay Example

Introduction

Usually, people presume that moral principles have to apply to rational beings everywhere and every time. Therefore, the moral principles are based on reason as the major concept. The Groundwork for the Metaphysics of Morals provides a clear understanding of moral principles to enable people to avert any distractions that may exist. Actions only become moral if they are undertaken to promote morality and not associated with ulterior motives. Moral actions have to respect the moral law and should not be driven by desire.

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What Immanuel Kant Is Trying to Mean

In the world, qualities of character consist of intelligence, wit, and intelligence whereas the good fortune qualities include good health, wealth and status. These qualities can be used for bad or good purposes. Contrarily, goodwill is always right even if it does not bring forth positive outcomes. The obligations of good will bring about duties, which have various propositions. One of these propositions is that actions are good when one undertakes them to accomplish some duty.

In some cases, people conform to duty out of interest and compulsion. Another proposition is that one would judge actions based on the principle, which served as the motivation to undertake such actions. For instance, when a person undertakes a given action to produce a particular result, the motivation is seen to be beyond mere duty. Additionally, people should refer to the law before they undertake the stipulated duties. Only rational people recognize a moral law and respect it while undertaking their actions. The reverence for law morally motivates individuals as they acknowledge the vitality of law as an imperative of reason transcending all interests and concerns. In essence, the moral law needs to be applied in all aspects.

Concisely, based on moral principles, it becomes difficult for people to derive universal moral laws from some events, as well as experiences. This is because the experiences cannot be a source of moral principles, which apply in different circumstances. As such, rational beings always align their will with objective moral laws or even subjective interests. Imperatives may be either hypothetical or categorical. The hypothetical one command that a given action comes about as a means to purpose like the need to attain personal happiness. Hypothetical imperatives occur regularly as reason guides individuals on the appropriate course of action to pursue. However, when there are indeterminate objectives such as happiness, it may be difficult to identify the actions, which will help achieve the set goal. On the other side, categorical imperatives do not require a purpose to accomplish an action.

Conversely, rational beings are always capable of causing events through their free will. The will should give itself own law and needs to follow the moral laws. Morality always follows from the free will concept. Since morality is crucial for rational beings, people cannot base the notion of morality on free will concept unless it is established that all those who are rational have free will. At circumstances, humans understand themselves from the intelligible or sensible world perspectives. As such, they think regarding laws of nature or even laws of reason. The free will that they possess is independent of forces of nature governing the sensible world. Therefore, this brings forth the concepts of autonomy and moral law.

How Kant Proves What He Is Trying to Mean

Kant uses false promise as an example of action, which violates the moral law. In essence, he argues that there are some instances where people reason that they ought to be permitted to lie to enable them to escape a difficult situation. However, some people reason that lying would even lead to greater difficulties in the future. In this case, the motivating factor is fear of the consequences and not the respect for duty in its entirety. Based on moral law, lying cannot be considered a universal law that governs various life aspects. Even though many people are unaware of the concept of moral law in their conscious senses, untrained minds also show the ability to abide by the law. The intuitions of people about theoretical matters are poor, but those about practical reason and morality are correct. For example, people recognize the sense that moral concerns ought not to include sensuous motivations. In essence, a proper understanding of the morals enables untrained minds to avoid deceit and distraction by any non-moral desires, as well as needs. In the metaphysics of morals, some implications are evident. One of these is that moral actions do not have impure motivations.

On the contrary, the action may be based on secondary motivation and not the intrinsic goodness of such actions. Another implication is that moral actions are not based on possible consequences and would only be good if it brings forth the expected outcome. A conscious understanding of moral principles can make people behave morally.

The Overall Point of Kant

Precisely, moral law has to express the principle of actions to be undertaken without considering the consequences but out of pure motives. People should act in ways that motivate them to uphold moral principles. In this manner, people would show a sense of intuitions for the moral law. Importantly, rational beings are capable of pursuing predetermined objectives through their will. If they are treated as just mere means, a contradiction is evident regarding the fact that rational humans are ends in themselves. Therefore, moral principles cannot be universal laws, which people would violate without recognizing their significance. Morality is based on the freedom concept. Freedom entails the ability to give own law to will. When people follow the demands of desire, they tend to be in heteronomy state as something outside determines their will.

In contrast, by following categorical imperative, individuals would be in a state of autonomy in the sense that they use reason to determine own law for themselves. Experience cannot be used to demonstrate the freedom of will. Ideally, moral principles can be formulated in some interrelated ways. These may be in the form of purpose, universality, as well as a social system. As such, the actions of goodwill should have intrinsic values of reason.

Conclusion

Ordinarily, when rational beings can pursue morality, they will find it easy to elevate themselves above material circumstances, as well as demands of nature. In this aspect, such individuals will establish a sense of independence of their will. In the world, it is evident that when one event occurs, it may cause another one. The objects in the world underlying appearances may show different qualities, which comprise of the freedom of will. Therefore, these morality concepts and principles are established in the Groundwork for the Metaphysics of Morals.