The Categorical Imperative
The categorical imperative is the highest principle that was founded by Immanuel Kant, a German philosopher. It is categorical because it does not depend on a person’s specific wish and imperative because means a command of a reason. According to Kant, it is not ethical or moral to use other people in order to achieve your personal goals or gain a profit. For example, if you need money and there is somebody who can lend it to you but you know exactly that you cannot afford to pay the debt it is not right to borrow.
Kant considers all good qualities of a personality as features of a temper, gifts of nature and gifts of fortune. They cannot be good without a good will. For example, such qualities as power and riches can lead to the development of such bad features as arrogance and boldness. Self-control and passionless can make a criminal more dangerous.
According to Kant, a good will is good because it is good itself but not because of its effects or opportunities to achieve some goals. Even if we achieve something or satisfy our needs we will not be happy or satisfy because we do it without a good will. The concept of a good will can be present in a natural and healthy mind of a person who can estimate actions and reality sensibly.
Duty is a part of a good will but very often people’s good actions are not done because of pure intentions or unselfishness but in order to satisfy personal inclinations or be praised. If some god deeds are done by a person who is not considered as a humanitarian but he is quite reserved and even cold, he can have patience and sympathy to help others because he experienced the same in his life in the past. In this case, he acts well, not out of his selfishness and inclination but out of duty.
Thus, it can be concluded that people must not treat the others in order to gain their personal profit but act according to the natural laws and rely on the good will. Even good qualities of a person or deeds that are good from the humans point of view can turn into bad ones without a good will. (Kant, 2002)
References:
Kant, I. (2002). Groundwork for the Metaphusics of Morals, translated by Arnulf Zweig
(pp. 252-258). Reprinted by permission of Oxford University Press.
