Ravi P, three categorical imperatives as offered by Immanuel Kant.

 

 

 

What is the role of the categorical imperative in moral practice? Explain with details of the categorical imperatives as offered by Immanuel Kant?

The First Formulation

"Act only according to that maxim whereby you can at the same time will that it should become a universal law"

This formula articulated the principal from the point of view of the acting by individual. The same rule to everyone and tries to point out from acting that is my principle must be a       universalisabilaity. To check the principle if it is right and it will be for everyone. The maxim on the basis of which acting is to be guided must be one that can also be sitimultaneously willed so that all others ought to act on it. Here the subjective principle (maxim) becomes an objective principle due to its universal necessity.

The universalizability criterion is morally significant. The case of the individual is made to be no exception but in line with general will. This points to a necessary community matrix in which moral maxims and morally worthy actions can be realized.

 

Moral > Universal > Objective.

Being the same for all confers objectivity to it. My maxim should conform to others morally.

 

Immoral > Particular > Subjective.

If my maxim proposes an exception to what is applicable to everyone or if what I propose conflicts with another recognized moral maxim, then my maxim does not coincide with moral rule applying to the situation. Any time I except from rule then my rule is immoral. In so acting, I act subjectively and immorally. I act morally only when I have an disposition to choose in such a way that I can consistently affirm that everyone ought to do what I do in the same circumstance.  I act as though my maxims were the objective law for everyone. In other words my maxim to be the universal law.

 Both these stress universality to the moral law. Kant is an uncompromising rationalist foundation in which each person's responsibility to be moral and thus to be a paradigm to the whole of rational beings are emphasized

 

The Second Formulation

"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."

 

From universality (formula 1) Kant moves treating humanity as the end of all moral acting.

Humanity whether in your own person or in the person of others never simply treat as a means but always at the same time as an end.  Kant insists that a conditional end will make an imperative hypothetical. However, he proposes that when humanity itself is taken as the end of our actions then it is an unconditional end and therefore would not violate an imperative. So he holds that in any action that do keeping in view the unconditional end of humanity we involve in moral actions. Having an end in part of humanity Kant says we should function only with an end set by reason if we should be moral. The end of humanity according to Kant is the rational end.

 

Respecting other rational agents.

We can uphold our own human nature only by recognizing and respecting other rational agents. It also includes acknowledging that all are endowed with good will and that they are ends in themselves. By my own rational agency and due to my possession of the good will there is a responsibility on one to be equally aware of the same in all other rational agents. It means that I should respect their personalities. Respecting humanity in others implies recognizing accepting the moral ends of others as one's own. Eg treating women as wife or prostitute 

 

Rational is relational: sets in motion in and through not only myself but to others too. Not to treat humanity as a mere means. If we adopt certain maxims by which another person is treated as mere means, then such a maxim leads to a contradiction in conception.

 

Making humanity the unconditional end : negatively : by stopping any move to degrade our humanity in terms of treating anyone as a mere means to some other end.

Positively: by engaging in cultivating a disposition of respect enchanging our humanity in every rational agent. These two constitute human virtue. Putting together 1 & 2 formulation the categorical imperative would mean. Adopt only those maxims which have an end of treating the humanity of oneself and others not as a mere means but as an end in itself universally.

1^st formula supplies form (universal law) of the categorical imperative and the 2^nd formula supplies the matter (humanity as its end)

 

The Third Formulation

 

The formula of Autonomy

 

"So act that your will can regard itself at the same time as making universal law through its maxims."

 Implied principle: The moral agent gives himself/ herself the universal law. It means the law by which one is bound in unconditional manner is the self given law. Self given: the moral agent is autonomous in obeying those self given laws. Autonmy is the source of the unconditional worth that to moral persons it is a property of the good will. Immoral: when an action had done form self interest cannot also be done from self legislation then it violates the imperative of duty. Morality is to be judged by the categorical imperative alone and strictly not at all by self interest.

 

Moral  responsibility

 

Human capacity for self legislation engenders a responsibility. There is only one reason for moral obligations according to Kant that is the fact that we give the law to ourselves. Sullivan: "for Kant the road to autonomy is through that self imposed disciple or self mastery necessary to adopt rules by which we transcended individuality in favour of universality.

Rational is relational: the categorical imperative cannot be rule of action for all rational beings if it is not applicable to everyone and legal isled by everyone.  

 

Kingdom of ends

"So act that your will can regard itself at the same time as making universal law through its maxims."

Kant goes beyond the restrictions of individual duties represented in other formulations and stresses the social nature of the moral agent and the moral world "kingdom of ends contains an explicit command to practice morality of view of a collective goal of a moral community

 

The absolute good: as every end chosen by a good will is good the ideal of the totality of all goods represented in the kingdom of ends must be the absolute good. Then the world of rational beings that attains the realization of the kingdom of ends is the highest good.

The highest good is the common end of humanity. Then all have the shared responsibility for its realization.