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A 5 page research paper/essay that examines Kantian ethics and discusses what Kant meant by the term categorical imperative, and how he applied principles of universality to this idea, arriving at the idea that human beings “belong to a kingdom of ends.” Bibliography lists 2 sources.
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5 pages (~225 words per page)
File: D0_khkantpj.rtf
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to the moral rules or motives of the individual performing the action (Shamoo and Resnik, 2006). Immanuel Kant, the eighteenth century German philosopher, maintained that it was the human
ability to universalize "the maxims of our actions," which "sets rational beings apart from non-rational beings" (Pojman, 2002, p. 148). Furthermore, he believed that all individuals are capable of contemplating
the motivation for their behavior and that this will lead them to precisely the "same set of moral principles, the ideal moral law" (Pojman, 2002, p. 148). This examination of
Kantian ethics discusses what Kant meant by the term categorical imperative, and how he applied principles of universality to this idea, arriving at the idea that human beings "belong to
a kingdom of ends" (Pojman, 2002, p. 148). Social duties or obligations are typically expressed as "imperatives or commands" (Pojman, 2002, p. 138). In his writing, Kant differentiates two
sort of imperatives- hypothetical and categorical. A hypothetical imperative might be phrased: "If you want A, then do B" (Pojman, 2002, p. 138). For example, if you want to stay
healthy, exercise and eat properly. The formula for a categorical imperative is even simpler and consists of "Do B!" (Pojman, 2002, p. 138). In other words, do what is obviously
right. Kant felt that right actions had moral value in of themselves, not simply because of their consequences. Therefore, he wrote that "Noting can possibly be conceived in the world,
or even out of it, which can be called good without qualification, except the Good Will" (Pojman, 2002, p. 137). Kant defined the categorical imperative (CI) in this manner:
"Act only according to that maxim by which you can at the same time will that it would become a universal law" (Pojman, 2002, p. 139). Elaborating on this, he
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