Groundwork Of The Metaphysics Of Morals By Kant

In the Groundwork of the Metaphysics of Morals, Kant asserts that actions based on duty is of the virtuous nature and that actions based on inclination are not. In the same time era, philosopher Friedrich Schiller satirized Kant’s argument by stating that if a person does a good deed for a friend naturally because that person is his friend, then that person is not virtuous. Therefore, the person must hate his friend and do the good deed in order for the person to be virtuous. While Kant’s guideline for deciding if a person’s actions have moral worth or not can, at times, not be clear enough, Schiller’s contention does nothing to detract from it.

In Section 1, Immanuel Kant states that the highest good for us human beings has to be the good
An example provided by Kant is when a regular person continues to preserve their life. Although preserving one’s life is a person’s duty, since the regular person is most likely keeping himself alive due to self-love, his action carried no “moral content” (4:398). Another example is a naturally nice person who helps other people. Although the person is doing good deeds, his action does not carry any moral worth due to the fact that he simply is naturally inclined to act that way. He did not have to make the decision to help others. Kant also mentions a shop owner who does not overcharge young, inexperienced customers because it would look poorly upon his business. This example would also not have moral worth because, although the owner is doing his duty by serving his customers honestly, he is doing the action for the sake of a personal
The example that Kant gives readers for this is when a person who is grieving and has no more will, or desire, to live whatsoever continues to preserve his life. This action would have a moral worth due to the fact that he is acting in spite of his desire and inclination for the sake of his duty, which is to preserve his life. Another example opposing the nice man example mentioned before is if a person who does not care at all about other people, for whatever reason, happens to end up helping others. This person’s actions would have a moral worth due to the fact that he acted not on inclination, but because it was his duty.
To Kant, the ideal model of a virtuous person would be someone whose actions are not affected in the slightest bit by an outside incentive. Every action the person does must be for the sake of the fact that it is that person’s duty. If the virtuous model happened to be a doctor, the doctor would have chosen to be a doctor in order to help heal other people, not because of the salary or the nobility with the prefix in the name. A merchant would be a merchant to give other people products, not because of the