Among many names, Immanuel Kant and his “Grounding for the Metaphysics of Morals” shines in the list of influences Simone de Beauvoir used to write her “The Ethics of Ambiguity”. Both philosophers focused on morality as an extension of one’s personal freedom, and I believe that Simone de Beauvoir’s accounts reach farther than that of Kant’s – making her writing just that much more successful. Specifically, I find that in Kant’s original points concerning the difference between good and evil values and overcoming instinct, de Beauvoir uses her explanation of such topics in the light of freedom in a much more concrete and identifiable way – as opposed to Kant’s abstractions.
To begin, although Kant addresses evil in this particular writing, …show more content…
From Kant’s discussion of the various hindrances man faces on his way to achieving true duty, he establishes that the “moral worth of the action thus lies not in the effect to be expected from it” (Metaphysics, 401). He then explores this notion and concludes with the concept of autonomy – a derivation of his first law, instead here he states, “Namely, in the idea of the will of every rational being as a will that legislates universal law.” (Metaphysics, 432). Instead of focusing only on those who follow the universal laws, he discusses how man must create his own laws. Combining the previous two quotes, Kant’s line of thought explains how “the autonomy of the will” is not just dependent on supposedly fixed moral imperatives, but on the very conditions man subjects himself to! By overcoming his own self-interests and legislating universal law (which includes and encourages others to attain their autonomy), man achieves the highest level of Good and freedom. Clearly, Kant had a firm grasp on social constructs and how they could be improved so that both the lawmakers and law-followers benefit – all while attaining