Immanuel Kant was an influential philosopher that placed moral worth in the good intentions of a person in performing an action rather than the consequences of the action — such ethics that appeal to duty and obligation rather than practical concerns are known as deontological ethics. The moral law that all objective reasoning would lead to, according to Kant, is his categorical imperative. The categorical imperative is a moral law that stands above all other laws and rules, such as religious, cultural, and legal ones. But what exactly is the categorical imperative and how would we apply it in real life?
The Four Formulations of the Categorical Imperative
- The Formula of the Law of Nature: “Act as if the maxim of your actions were to become, through your will, a universal law of nature.” In English: An action must be universally applicable in order to be ethical. For example, stealing, under any circumstances, is wrong because if everyone stole, the world would be in chaos and society would probably break down.
- The Formula of the End Itself: “Act in such a way that you always treat humanity, whether in your own person or in the person on any other, never simply as a means, but always at the same time as an end.” Simply this means that everyone has human worth and that you cannot, ethically speaking, manipulate and use someone with no regard to his or her intrinsic worth. This formula follows from the first, since everyone would otherwise be manipulated and used by others, thus causing social chaos. This formula states that you, for example, cannot ever ethically own a slave to do manual labor for you because, in this situation, you are using this person as a means to an end (not doing your own manual labor) while ignoring his intrinsic human worth.
- The Formula of Autonomy: “So act that your will can regard itself at the same time as making universal law through its maxims.” This means that our actions, in order to be ethical, must be able to abide by universally applicable laws, such as the aforementioned “Thou shall not steal.”
- The Formula of the Kingdom of Ends: “So act as if you were, through your maxims, a law-making member of a kingdom of ends.” Simply stated, this formula means that the only ethical laws are those that would benefit mankind as a whole while treating all people, including yourself, as ends and not means. For example, suicide could not ever be deemed to be the ethical thing to do, according to Kantian ethics, otherwise it should actually be a law that everyone commits suicide. Now, wouldn’t that be a silly law?
Thus the categorical imperative provides a reasoned approach to deontological ethics that makes good intentions more important that the consequences of an action. Kantian ethics, however, has its critics. Some, for example, point out that Immanuel Kant suggests that you could not lie to a serial killer asking where his “prey” is, even if his prey is your friend who is hiding in your closet. To lie in this case would be unethical, according to Kant, because lying is never permissible according to the categorical imperative.
While Kantian ethics cannot be the ethical truth due to the ridiculous conclusions it sometimes makes in certain situations, I believe it is closer to the truth than simple hedonistic and utilitarian ethics, which permit treating people entirely as means without regard to their intrinsic human value. Furthermore, Immanuel Kant has significantly influenced ethical discussions, especially in regards to deontological ethics. This philosophical giant won’t disappear from ethical debates any time soon.
Sources:
http://www2.sunysuffolk.edu/pecorip/SCCCWEB/ETEXTS/ETHICS/Chapter_8_Kantian_Theory/Moral_Evaluation.htm
http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/ethics-deontological/
http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/99359/categorical-imperative
http://www.qcc.cuny.edu/socialsciences/ppecorino/intro_text/Chapter%208%20Ethics/Categorical_Imperative.htm
http://www83.homepage.villanova.edu/richard.jacobs/MPA%208300/theories/categorical%20imperative.html
http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/utilitarianism-history/
