Kant Categorical Imperative Essay Example for Free

Kant Categorical Imperative Essay Kant’s Categorical Imperative is made up of two formulations, Formula of Universal Law and The Formula of the End in Itself. The first formulation is best described by the following statement, â€Å"Act only according to that maxim whereby you can at the same time will that it should become a universal law without contradiction. † (Kant, 1785, 1993). What does this mean? A maxim is the fundamental rule of conduct or your moral belief upon which you chose to act. A universal law is a law that everyone must follow regardless of the outcome. How do we determine if the maxim can become universal? One of the first things to do is to ask yourself if it would be acceptable that everyone do the same thing that you are considering doing in that situation. We were given several examples in The Elements of Moral Philosophy and the one that made the most impact was â€Å"suppose a man needs money, but no one will lend it to him unless he promises to pay it back-which he knows he won’t be able to do. Should he make a false promises to get the loan? † (Rachels, 2012). If this happened the maxim or universal rule would be anytime you need a loan tell a lie that you will repay it and you will get the loan. This is not something that everyone would be willing to do because you will no longer believe others when they tell you this statement and no one would be willing to make the loans. The second thing you should do to determine if the maxim can become universal is look at your answer to the first question. Did you say â€Å"yes, I think that everyone will do it? †. If so, then ask yourself if it makes rational sense to want everyone in the same situation to do what you are contemplating doing. If your answer was no to either question then your maxim cannot become universal law because it is not considered moral. Overall, based on Kant, an act is morally right only if the primary rule of behavior, which is how you decide to act morally, can constantly and universally relate to you and others. The second formulation is best described by the following statement, â€Å"Act in such a way that you treat humanity, whether in your own person or in the person of any other, never merely as a means to an end, but always at the same time as an end. † (Kant, 1785, 1993). Basically, this means that morality consists of doing your duty to treat people, including yourself, and an end, never as a means to an end. Kant combined the second formulation with the first because we have a perfect duty to not use the humanity of ourselves or others merely as a means to some other end. Most ends are somewhat subjective because they need only be pursued if they are in line with some particular hypothetical imperative that a person may choose to adopt. (Categorical Imperative Explained, 2012). The second formulation also leads to the imperfect duty to further the ends of ourselves and others. If any person desires perfection in themselves or others, it would be their moral duty to pursue that end for all people equally, so long as that end does not contradict perfect duty. The question of whether or not Kant adequately addresses the problems evident in comparison of the two formulations cannot be summed up with a simple yes or no answer. He makes a good argument for both sides just as he opposes both sides. The difference is whether or not we have the right moral sense to determine why and how our decisions affect ourselves and others. Kant shows that you have struggles when rationality and practicality are conveyed to cover the same matter. So after all this we ask the question, â€Å"How plausible is the theory? † I think that it is a logical theory that clearly assists in making decisions. It provides a plausible account of morality because you can look at others and have a tendency to complete your actions based on those of others. Kantianism is a more consistent theory because it can be universally applied to all. It is more believable because even if the penalties of carrying out an action aren’t necessarily the best, the individual is still obligated to perform the action because it is their duty to do so. Kant’s theory focuses on the motivation of actions and has a clear and distinctive set of universal rules, and is morally sound. Consequently, ethically and morally they are doing the right thing. Bibliography Categorical Imperative Explained. (2012, April 12). Retrieved from Everything Explained: http://everything. explained. at/categorical_imperative/ (1993). In J. W. Ellington, Grounding for the Metaphysics of Morals (p. 30). Hackett. Kant, I. (1785, 1993). Grounding for the Metaphysics of Morals 3rd ed.. . In J. W. Wllington. Hackett. Rachels, J. (2012). The Elements of Moral Philosophy. McGraw-Hill. Reason Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. (n. d. ). Retrieved from http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Reason Chicago: Reason Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Reason (accessed April 17, 2012). The Elements of Moral Philosophy. (n. d. ). Retrieved from http://jamesrachels. org/78improvedsentences. htm Chicago: The Elements of Moral Philosophy, http://jamesrachels. org/78improvedsentences. htm (accessed April 17, 2012).

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Unit 1: Narrative Essay Feeling complete with your own personal mental and physical standpoints is essential if you ever want a fulfilling relationship. Knowing your own ability to live vigilantly day to day, being gratified with the prospects of how you are living your life up untill this point. This is what determines wether your ready to take the step into entering a relationship. Every point in ones life is a learning experience. Treating past relationships as learning experiences help to better your understanding of what your really looking to gain out of future relationships. The following paragraphs discuss a story of my past. This story revolves around a relationship taking place at a negative point in my life. So my lesson to you is one I learned the hard way. Being happy with yourself is vital before attempting to by happy with someone else. To mentally set the scene for my story, I will give some background into my mental and physical standpoint. During the time of this story, I was under a lot of stress from various circumstances. I had just recently lost my job at Subway and had no source of income. Becouse I lost my job, I had no longer the money nor the resources to continue with athletic training. Taking the three months off from athletic training had a negative effect on my physical appearence. With a noticable loss of physical appearence, my self esteem began to drop slightily. So all together, threw one run of bad luck into another, i was spiraling down into a depression like state. It all started the first week of grade 10. I was walking to math class and i met up with a few of my lunch crew friends. I noticed my friend Ashlea talking to Erin Berring. Erin was an attractive, smart and fashonable girl. I always had a thing for smarties. In school she had straight A's, and was also the leader of the female wrestling team. I felt a little up on myself that day for some reason. I figured there was no better time then the present to chat it up a little. The conversation went quite well, which was different from what I expected. She even asked for my number so we could continue our talk later that night. "Why would she be interested in me?," I said to myself. After all, she seemed way out of my league.

Exhibit Advertisement Essay

Please join the Rhode Island School of Design in exploring a blast from the past! Our annual art exhibit will be celebrated January 22, 2012 in RISD’s auditorium. This year will showcase art work from the Early Chinese and Early Japanese Civilizations. During this free exhibit your entire family will be able to explore the very fascinating masterpieces from ancient Chinese and Japanese artist. Throughout the exhibit you will see different forms of art with each piece reflecting on their culture, history, and religious beliefs. Please take some time to read about some of the artwork that will be displayed, and its roots. Understanding these amazing art forms can be comprehended by first taking a look on how all forms of art was greatly influenced by Early Chinese Civilization. There are many connections between culture, religion, and spiritual beliefs. Buddhism, Taoism, and Confucianism were religions that greatly affected Chinese artist. These religions and philosophies represented social responsibility, responsibility towards nature, practical and mystical relations, along with healthy life balance. In addition to religion the admiration of nature played a very special part in art whether it is sculptures, calligraphy scrolls, or architecture. The wide array of art forms can be traced back to the Chinese culture. In the first preview you will notice a bronze horse; this artwork was created during the Han Dynasty. A horse for many was means of transportation however the Chinese valued the horse, especially due to their location. The breed of horses that were available to the Chinese were considered â€Å"flying horses† due to their speed. Many emperors along with citizens valued animals and nature because of their spiritual beliefs. Chinese men also valued the horse understanding that in time or war horses were an essential part to defeating enemies. Another art form that can be viewed at our annual exhibit is the representation of Yin and Yang. Yin and Yang represent the equal balance of life. This is most commonly represented by black and white, although the Chinese understood that life would not always be black and white. The Chinese understood that no part of life could be relevant without the other and appreciated the good with the bad and believed in things being equal. Japanese art form absorbed many of the influences from the Chinese Civilization. Japanese art in its own way is a concentrated form of Chinese work and cultural beliefs. There were Taoist and Confucius influences however the Shinto and Buddhist society were also heavily acknowledged. The love and respect for spiritual peace in addition to nature can be easily identified in Japanese art. Much like the Chinese, the Japanese also valued family, life balance, and elder wisdom. In the above image one can sense the importance of religion and spiritual finding. The Shaka Triad displays in the center Buddha. This art work was a direct influence of Buddhism, which later became to influence the court life of the Japanese. (Benton & DiYanni, 2008) This piece of art was directly influenced by the Chinese sculpture traditions especially those of pre-Tang period.

Analysis Of Shakespeare s Hamlet - 1510 Words

Reno 1 Emily Reno Parris A4 5.13.17 A Feigned Madness Until something very tragic happens, one will never truly know how they would respond to such an event. Shakespeare s play Hamlet focuses on the concept of grief and the incredible power it has to change the way a person acts. After the death of his father, Hamlet’s character is often thought to have entered a state of madness; however, many fail to see that Hamlet has feigned this madness to seek revenge on those who have wronged his father and as a way to cope with his overwhelming sadness. The actions Hamlet takes and the persona that he presents adds an additional layer to his character and proves that he is quite intelligent in his methods and able to use the†¦show more content†¦(1.5.170-180) Reno 3 Hamlet explains to the men that he may begin to act weird and that from there on out he must put on an â€Å"antic disposition† and that they must swear to never speak of the information that they know. We see that Hamlet is very calm in this instance and clearly able to communicate what he wants, something a madman would not be able to do. Although he has not completely thought out his plan to kill Claudius, he knows that he must have something to put the blame on once he does and decides that acting mad gives him the perfect excuse. Despite the grief he is undergoing, Hamlet is still able to think through his actions, showing how aware, able and sane he really is. In addition to Hamlet admitting he will fake his madness, when he begins to act out it becomes clear that other characters may not fully believe it is real. Hamlet s mother admits that there may be an obvious reason for his behavior, saying, â€Å"I doubt it is no other but the main:/His father’s death and our o erhasty marriage† (2.2.56-57). Hamlet’s mother realizes that the death of her husband and her quick marriage to Hamlet’s uncle may be the source of his â€Å"madness† and suggests that he will soon overcome these emotional struggles andShow MoreRelatedAnalysis Of Shakespeare s Hamlet 959 Words   |  4 Pagesnot to â€Å"x† (An analysis of Hamlet s Soliloquy To Be or Not to Be) There are many outstanding stories that have been written by the one and only William Shakespeare, in which a soliloquy of a character is very compelling. The play Hamlet by William Shakespeare is a story in which a man kills his own brother and then marries the wife of his brother and takes the throne while he is at it. There are many secrets and no one knows that the original king was killed by his brother. 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