Blog Prompt 8: Summarize and explain the second formulation of the categorical imperative commanding us to treat people (ourselves included) as “ends in themselves” and never merely as means. Consider intrinsic versus instrumental value and how that value plays a role in moral theory.
According to Kant what makes a good person good is “his possession of a will that is in a certain way “determined” by, or makes its decisions on the basis of, the moral law “, which means that a good person acts based on moral law and his will is determined only by moral law. Kant believes that sacrifices can be made only if fundamental moral convictions are not being at risk due to the fact that these precise fundamentals are the base of his judgement. He gives the example of a ‘holy or divine will’ and argues that the conditions for this to exist regarding religion are almost impossible implying that we often pray or serve a holy duty because we find ourselves in the need to do it, rather than having a natural inclination. In other words, according to Kant and his universal perspective, decision making should be only motivated by our morals. He compares these motives with duty and motivation demonstrating his point on universal duty/moral perspective. In summary, society’s acts should have an inclination towards morality and integrity by being consistent and reliable. Such concepts play an important role in being able to recognize and understand their level of complexity in one’s life, in order for society to act accordingly yet this leaves us to believe that misunderstanding can take place leading an individual to make the wrong choices for the wrong reasons.
Word Count: 235
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