Categorical Imperative by Immanuel Kant

Immanuel Kant and the Categorical Imperative

• Immanuel Kant was born on April 22, 1724, in Königsberg, Prussia (now Kaliningrad, Russia)
• He believed that Rationality should be the only foundation of Ethics and Morality, with no requirement for God or religion
• Morality is a product of Rationality, making the categorical imperative absolute and universal

Key Principles

• Good Will: Doing things because they are morally correct, not because of the result they might produce; it is a necessary principle of doing good because it is one's duty
• Categorical Imperative: A form of Deontological Ethical Theory (Duty/Obligation based Ethical Theory) that obligates individuals to do what is good
• Direct Order: "Act only according to that maxim by which you can at the same time will that it should become a universal law"
• Principle of Universalizability: An action is right if and only if you could rationally will it to be universal

Maxim and Universal Law

• Maxim: A rule and/or principle of action that, as a universal law, means to have everyone in a similar situation always act according to the same rule
• Universal Law: A rule that applies to everyone in similar situations, making it a universal standard for morality

Humanity and Autonomy

• Principle of Humanity: Act as to treat humanity/man as an end, not as a means only
• Kingdom of Ends: A society where individuals are treated as ends in themselves, never merely as things or tools to be used for personal purposes
• Principle of Autonomy: Not only a follower of universal law (moral law), but also an autonomous individual who makes their own moral decisions