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Kant's Argumentative Analysis

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Kant is a firm believer in intent being the basis of morality. If one’s intentions are pure and selfless than that is the recipe for high morality according to Kant.
Consequences should not be a part of this recipe. No matter what the consequences are, one should always act with valor, listening to the voice that whispers what one should do out of basic human duty. Acting on duty is the highest form of freedom and morality.
When describing Kant’s moral theory you must understand what is meant by hypothetical and categorical imperatives. Hypothetical imperatives stem from the wants experienced in life. If I want to do this, I ought to do that. For example, if I want to go to Mars, I ought to become an astronaut. In contrast, categorical
imperatives …show more content…
If every body in the world is doing this act (let’s say lying) all at the same time or they are doing it constantly, would it be right or lead to a contradiction? If the answer is yes, than it is morally wrong. This is an example of a categorical imperative. If every body lied to each other constantly than language, being the tool we use to communicate with each other, as a whole would crumble. Also, you may ask yourself, “If somebody did this to me would I like it? If somebody lied or stole from me would that make me happy? No, it wouldn’t.”
The categorical imperative allows Kant to explain the way we as intrinsic creatures should treat each other. Kant says that we should never treat others as a means to an end. In Kant’s mind this is a distasteful way to interact and morally wrong. Being human is an invaluable experience and should be respected as such.
“Treat humans as an end within themselves”. Or, in layman’s terms, don’t use people. There are some examples that may seem harsh but to Kant is the only way life should be lived. To Kant it would be good to feed starving children (as long as intentions were pure) but if this involved stealing, it would be wrong. This is

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