Book: Contemporary Moral Problems: The Categorical Imperative by Immanuel Kant
Library Reference: N/A
Amazon.com Reference: http://www.amazon.com/Contemporary-Moral-Problems-James-White/dp/0495553204/

Quote: “Act only on that maxim through which you can at the same time will that it should become a universal law”

“Act only on that maxim through which you can at the same time will that it should become a universal law”

Learning Expectation: I am expecting to:
• Learn what is Categorical Imperative is
• Know Kant standpoint
• Understand Kant’s good will

Review:
Personally, I love Kant’s Good Will because I do think that what he said about it was true. Good will is something that you can have even you can’t get everything that you want from this freaking amazing earth.

Like what Kant said, the Good will define the term character. As like Kant says that it is impossible to conceive anything at all in the world or even out of it except of the Good Will. Good will is something that makes intelligence, wit, judgment, and any other talents of the mind we may care to name or courage, resolution, and constancy of purpose as qualities of temperament as good character. Good will is good in itself.

Good will make what we know as character good, because without the power of self giving, any attitude can be tag as bad. I remember my moral class on high school; my teacher say will is the person voluntary act to do something without anyone asking him or her to do so. So in other words, the good will can show the world that we are person that wasn’t really bad because we have this voluntary nature to do what we think is good.

In addition I think what Kant means on his first imperative that there is only one thing that can be said universal to everything that you will do. It is something that you can say as your principle regarding the things that you are living with. One sayings fit-all in other terms of word.

On the other hand, I think Kant’s meaning on his second imperative says is that you should be the judge on your own life. Having an ends can means that what you are doing isn’t a subject on any external critiques because it already reach it end, it already reach its limit.

What I have learned:

I learned things about the good will and how it can make our actions and good. In addition, I also learned that there are certain things that I can say bad but because there is a good will they become good.

I also learned that there are times that we should have our own universal law. But like what I said on the review, there are times that this universal law can’t fit on our life because it do have too many perspective.

Review Questions:

1. Explain Kant’s account of the good will.
2. Distinguish between hypothetical and categorical imperatives.
3. State the first formulation of the categorical imperative (using the notion of a universe law), and explain how Kant uses this rule to derive some specific duties toward self and others.
4. State the second version of the categorical imperative (using the language of means and ends). And explain it.

Answers:

1. Kant says that it is impossible to conceive anything at all in the world or even out of it except of the Good Will. Good will is something that makes intelligence, wit, judgment, and any other talents of the mind we may care to name or courage, resolution, and constancy of purpose as qualities of temperament as good character. Good will is good in itself.

2. Hypothetical imperatives in general say that you don’t know beforehand the content until the condition is given, while on categorical imperative, you already know the content or what it contains.

3. The first formulation of the categorical imperative says “Act only on that maxim through which you can at the same time will that it should become a universal law”

Kant says that if all imperative of duty can be derived from this one imperative as their principle, then even although we leave it unsettled whenever what we call duty may not be an empty concept, we shall still be able to show at least we understand what the concept means.

I think what Kant means is that there is only one thing that can be said universal to everything that you will do. It is something that you can say as your principle regarding the things that you are living with.

4. Kant’s second imperative says “Act so as to use humanity, whether in your own person or in others, always as an end, and never merely as a means but always as the same time as an ends.”

I think Kant is saying that you should be the judge on your own life. Having an ends can means that what you are doing isn’t a subject on any external critiques because it already reach it end, it already reach its limit.

Discussion Questions:

1. Are the two versions of the categorical imperative just different expressions of one basic rule, or are they tow different rules? Defend your view.
2. Kant claims that an action that is not done from the motive of duty has no moral worth. Do you agree or not? If not, give some counterexamples.
3. Some commentators think that the categorical imperative (particularly the first formulation) can be used to justify nonmoral actions. Is this a good criticism?

Answers:

1. I do thing that the two imperatives are similar because when you carefully look at it, you will realized that both imperatives says that you should be the ruler of your life. The first says that you should have one universal law which linked you to the second imperative that says you should be on the end or be definite.

2. I don’t agree with him, because for me there are things or actions that you do beyond the motive of duty. There are instances that you do something without any feeling to do so because of the simple reason that you just wanted to do.

Ex. Liza goes to her enemy’s house just because she just wanted to do so and also want to have reconciliation. It wasn’t her duty to do so, but because she wanted to, she do what she wants, and I can say that it have its own worth.

3. Actually I don’t know because personally, I cant really decipher the real meaning of the first imperative because I think that there is really no universal law because life does have different perspective in which you can never have one saying fits all thing.