Kantian Ethics Essay
Kantian ethics functions as the most feasible especially in the definition of individual duty in ethical situations. Kant’s ideas are considered vague and rigid, but they function efficiently and with ease in most situations. Exceptions exist but their strengths are diminished when individuals focus on actual situations, their expectations and how people handle them. Despite these exceptions, the description given by Kant of the conversion of maxims into universal laws are used as a guide to systems regarding morality and ethics.
The most beautiful thing about Kantian ethics is the fact that it bases its arguments on an individual. A person can, therefore, decide whether their actions are worth being done to others by determining if they would be pleased if the action was done to them. Unlike the utilitarian point of view, Kantian ethics focuses on an individual and not on the needs of the group. These point of view not only applies to people but also animals as they are considered as human beings. Kant’s theory is hardly acknowledged by some societal groups or collective groups and thus can only be applied in a situation where peace, tolerance, and understanding have prevailed for long periods of time.
Kant believes that one does not require to know the expected results for an action to judge it on moral grounds. This is because moral rules can be known on the basis. All human beings face the challenge of having to accept the inevitability of being confronted with situations that test their character and morality unwillingly. Kantian ethics, therefore, is based on the concept of universalization where Kant describes a maxim and tests if it is morally acceptable for one person to act in that manner. Also, it can be checked by seeing if it would be morally permissible for all individuals to act similarly. Kantian ethics concludes that an action can only be morally permissible in one instance if it is universally acceptable in all the other cases.
Most individuals follow their intuition when they face a moral conflict as they become introspective, hoping that their intuition guides them to make a morally right decision. However, nobody is sure if they have acted ethically in such situations and thus Kant believes that the primary thing that can guide us to making morally correct decisions is the goodwill. The good will is good in itself and thus is not considered good from what it impacts or accomplishes. Kantian ethics asserts that a good will acts by the maxim of engaging in the right things as it’s the only right thing to be done. An action’s moral worth can only be examined by determining whether or not the action was conducted concerning the moral laws.
Kantian ethics argues that a moral action does not base on inclination, feelings or possibilities of positive outcomes or rewards. It bases on sense, for instance, this is what I or we ought to do. Offering an old person a seat in a vehicle, for example, can only be morally correct if you do it out of a sense of duty and not to impress anyone. The motive is, therefore, a vital fact in Kantian ethics, and it is even possible for an action to yield negative results despite being a moral act. The article focus on the concept of moral responsibility and duty as the primary characteristic of the moral consciousness that serves as the foundation for the deontological initiative.
Most people wonder if morality is something that can be discovered. Maybe if all of us accept integrity with our own experiences, then our view and ideologies would be similar. Therefore, Kant’s arguments on morality and decision making must be a priority. Kantian ethics creates a modern approach to the way individuals hold their ethical standards in the contemporary world. Kant’s view assumes that the concept of morality majorly basses on absolute directives which might not apply to the modern world which is not so clear. From this essay, it is evident that there exist flaws that an individual should still look into the consequences, especially when thinking ethically and morally.
