Immanuel Kant's Groundwork Of The Metaphysics Of Mo

In Immanuel Kant’s Groundwork of the Metaphysics of Morals (1785), he explains the concept of Categorical imperative. This theory, states that universal moral law is applicable to all rational beings and that universal law has no dependence on individualized objectives. Humans have the ability to reason and establish what their moral duties are. He produces an argument for this assessment of morality by addressing the roles of means and ends. A mean is something that is done in order to achieve a desired outcome, or end. An individual end has value because it fulfills a personal need or want. A rational being must establish reasoning or personal justification for the integrity of a personalized end. Valuing individual rationale suggest that an individual values rational thinking in its entirety.
Much like Kant, I too believe it is imminent that humans will act in ways to manipulate means of opportunity in a self-promoting way in order to achieve the best possible personalized end. In order for an individual to determine what is his or her optimal end, he must rationally consider the means required to achieve the maximum outcome. Rational thought permits humanity to consider the effects of actions from the point of views of others. It forces the consideration of ones actions and impacts the end that his actions will lead to regardless of self-motives. This in exchange, creates sympathy and morality amongst all humans. Kant refers to this as “the kingdom of ends- it is by laws that ends are determined as regards their universal validity.” (Kant 54) Morality is what encourages humans treat others with a level of equality. In Kant’s words, “all rational beings come under the law that each of them must treat itself and all others never merely as means, but in every case at the same time as ends in themselves. Hence results in a systematic union of rational beings by common law.” (Kant