Kantism Research Paper
Kantism is a theory of duties. According to Kant, human will is a good will because we can make decisions based on the reason alone and our morality is grounded in logical reasoning. Today, I spent the day making decisions as if I was a Kantian. It was definitely a challenging day.
We had a chemistry assignment due on Monday. One of my friends asked me for help with a question. Even after sending the answer and explaining how I got the answer, she was not able to understand it. Although I had a lot of other homework to do, I decided to help her with understanding the question. My motivation behind this action was to follow the moral law because it is my duty to help others in need, regardless of whether I like it or not. The maxim behind this
decision was “to help people when in need.” Kant states, “Act only in accordance with the maxim through which you can at the same time will that it become a universal” (Restrepo, “What is the Categorical Imperative”). This is the categorical imperative for Kant. In order to determine if my action was my duty and was morally worthy, I used categorical imperative. My maxim “to help people when in need,” is logically coherent and can be universalized. It is logically coherent because if everyone helped each other, helping each other would still be possible. If this maxim is universalized, it creates a world in which everybody helps each other. Moreover, since we are interdependent and seek help at some point in our lives, this maxim creates a world that every rational being would want to live in. There is also no contradiction in the will because I am helping a person and would also want a world in which somebody helps me when I need help. Thus, this action of mine passes the categorical imperative.
Another important part of Kantian ethics is practical imperative. The practical imperative is to “act so that you use humanity, as much in your own person as in the person of every other, always at the same time as an end and never merely as means” (Restrepo, “What are some problems”). This means that we should never use people as the means but treat them respectfully. The action that uses a person merely as means is morally impermissible. We should not undermine their life goals. On Friday, I went to the Red Storm Diner for dinner. After standing in the line for a long time, I gave my order to the lady behind the counter. Before I gave the order, I said “hello” to her and after placing the order, I said “thank you.” After she called me when my order was ready, I thanked her again and wished her goodnight. These actions of mine show that I did not use that lady as just a means to order and get my dinner. By saying thank you, I treated her respectfully and like an adult. I kept in mind that she is a rational being and has intrinsic value. Thus, I treated her not merely as means but as an end. Moreover, I acted in this way regardless of how I want to be treated. Thus, this action passes the practical imperative.
The day as a Kantian was very interesting and at the same time challenging. Being heavily influenced by the utilitarian theory, it was hard to not think about consequences and take decisions like a Kantian. This requires a lot of thinking as the actions have to pass both the categorical imperative and practical imperative. Since my actions passed both the imperatives, I think I took decisions like a Kantian would.
We had a chemistry assignment due on Monday. One of my friends asked me for help with a question. Even after sending the answer and explaining how I got the answer, she was not able to understand it. Although I had a lot of other homework to do, I decided to help her with understanding the question. My motivation behind this action was to follow the moral law because it is my duty to help others in need, regardless of whether I like it or not. The maxim behind this
decision was “to help people when in need.” Kant states, “Act only in accordance with the maxim through which you can at the same time will that it become a universal” (Restrepo, “What is the Categorical Imperative”). This is the categorical imperative for Kant. In order to determine if my action was my duty and was morally worthy, I used categorical imperative. My maxim “to help people when in need,” is logically coherent and can be universalized. It is logically coherent because if everyone helped each other, helping each other would still be possible. If this maxim is universalized, it creates a world in which everybody helps each other. Moreover, since we are interdependent and seek help at some point in our lives, this maxim creates a world that every rational being would want to live in. There is also no contradiction in the will because I am helping a person and would also want a world in which somebody helps me when I need help. Thus, this action of mine passes the categorical imperative.
Another important part of Kantian ethics is practical imperative. The practical imperative is to “act so that you use humanity, as much in your own person as in the person of every other, always at the same time as an end and never merely as means” (Restrepo, “What are some problems”). This means that we should never use people as the means but treat them respectfully. The action that uses a person merely as means is morally impermissible. We should not undermine their life goals. On Friday, I went to the Red Storm Diner for dinner. After standing in the line for a long time, I gave my order to the lady behind the counter. Before I gave the order, I said “hello” to her and after placing the order, I said “thank you.” After she called me when my order was ready, I thanked her again and wished her goodnight. These actions of mine show that I did not use that lady as just a means to order and get my dinner. By saying thank you, I treated her respectfully and like an adult. I kept in mind that she is a rational being and has intrinsic value. Thus, I treated her not merely as means but as an end. Moreover, I acted in this way regardless of how I want to be treated. Thus, this action passes the practical imperative.
The day as a Kantian was very interesting and at the same time challenging. Being heavily influenced by the utilitarian theory, it was hard to not think about consequences and take decisions like a Kantian. This requires a lot of thinking as the actions have to pass both the categorical imperative and practical imperative. Since my actions passed both the imperatives, I think I took decisions like a Kantian would.