GLST 210
Values Analysis, Second Paper Assignment
March 9th, 2013
Kantian Moral Theory
Kantian’s moral theory is a normative ethical theory that was first proposed German philosopher Immanuel Kant in the late 1700’s that is based on the idea of moral duty. In Kant’s theory the view that consequences determine the morality of an action is rejected because it is possible to do something that may be considered to be morally wrong by some, but it has the possibility of helping society. This theory is considered to be deontological because Kant states that actions are morally right in virtue of their motives.
Throughout life and society there are plenty of instances of circumstances that may be viewed as morally wrong by some, but the thing that is viewed as morally wrong is done with the plan of helping others. In Kant’s opinion an action is to be considered as morally correct if it was done out of good will, not by if it was viewed morally correct by society. He believed that an individual must do the right things for the right reasons and those reasons can’t be to solely benefit themselves.
According to Kant every person has a duty that they are obligated to perform in every different occasion. To help us to determine what our duty in every occasion may be Kant provided us with the categorical imperative. The Categorical Imperative states the form that a moral rule must have. There are two tests that are the basis of the Categorical Imperative or CI procedure. These two tests are universalizability and respect for others as ends in themselves.
In the book, the principle of universalizability is defined by stating that an act is morally acceptable if, and only if, the reason for doing the action is justified in doing good. If a circumstance is able to meet these two criteria that are being tested, then according to Kant’s Moral theory it is morally correct and we are obligated to perform the act. Kant believed that are moral duties are categorical imperatives, we are all rational human beings therefore they apply to us. He also thought that CI’s are something that we have to obey even if we don’t want to, and even if obeying them benefits us in no way that we may care about. While the theory of universalizability puts an emphasis on fairness, another Kant principle that focuses on how respect and dignity are vital for morality is the principle of humanity. He believed that we should always treat human beings, including ourselves, as an end, and never be considered as mere means. Treating someone as an end is considered to be treating them with the respect they deserve, while treating someone as a mean is treating someone in a way that you hope they will assist you in achieving your goals. This ties in with the overview of Kant’s moral theory because it is ok to do something that may be viewed morally wrong in order to help someone, also known as treating them as an end, as long as you are not doing it with a goal of benefiting yourself, which would be treating someone as a mean.
An example to assist in trying to explain Kant’s theory that hit close to home with me is a police officer involved shooting. This example hits close to home with me because both my dad and my uncle are police officers, so I’ve had to deal with the possibility of my dad not coming home at night every day since I was three years old. A few weeks ago here in Springfield, there was an armed and dangerous criminal who had committed a crime and then barricaded himself in a house. The criminal would not negotiate with officers, and when the police tried to arrest him he opened fire and shot a police officer. In order to save the lives of innocent civilians as well as the other officers on the scene the swat team then opened fire on the criminal and killed him. Sometimes police officers have to shoot and kill violent criminals, although killing someone is viewed to be morally wrong in this circumstance it is done with the purpose